


Deliver Us

by SnowlakeLynx



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Aftermath of Violence, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Wings, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Violence, Drama & Romance, F/M, Feral Rey (Star Wars), Fluff and Angst, Guaranteed HEA, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Mentions of past abuse, Rape/Non-con Elements, Redeemed Ben Solo, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, mentions of torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-04
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:28:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 30,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27379489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnowlakeLynx/pseuds/SnowlakeLynx
Summary: Rey is a tagged Seraphim. Being a Seraphim amongst Mankind has only caused her to suffer and each day she can only pray that she won't have her wings clipped while having to listen to the cries of hope that are slowly dying around her.Ben is the hopeful Seraphim Prince that wants nothing more than to end the suffering of his people that are still held captive.Despite all his planning and preparing however, he never imagined that he would meet his soulmate amongst the captive.-----"Deliver usHear our prayer, deliver usFrom despair, These years of slavery grow too cruel to standDeliver us, there's a land you promised us"
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Rose Tico, Leia Organa/Han Solo, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 28
Kudos: 39





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!
> 
> I have not shared my writing in quite some time so I apologize in advance if things are a mess until I get used to this site. As the story continues I will update my tags and if you have any suggestions, please do say so, I will gladly accept them!  
> More notes will be at the end.
> 
> Cover art is done by me! Ionightarts is my Instagram :)

The pain of the Seraphim, is something that is known throughout the land of the two kingdoms, and it something that could be seen clear as day in the Kingdom of Mankind. 

But, if you were to ask any elder amongst the Seraphim, they would tell you things that mankind have twisted into a version that had been built amongst lies, the truth having since been forgotten. They would tell you that before the reign of King Skywalker, Mankind and Seraphim used to exist side by side in harmony. Some could still recall what it was like to have friends that were not born with wings like the Seraphim were, and others could tell you of family members that courted and married a human. In those times, there had not been a divide amongst the two races. Many of the Seraphim were guardians and protectors of the peace, and they helped the humans with any wars that arose amongst them. These guardians had been known as the Jedi. 

The King, Qui-Gon Jinn, having no children of his own, soon declared Anakin Skywalker to be his heir of the throne, having chosen the young boy from the ranks of the Jedi. After this declaration, Anakin stepped down as a Jedi Knight and began to learn how to become a King. His Brother in Arms to Anakin, and an old friend of Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, left his title as Jedi Master and took up the mantle of Captain of the Guard.

It would only be a year later that Anakin met his soulmate, Padme Amidala, a Countess who was part of the King’s Court, and no one was surprised when they soon married. A large ceremony was thrown amongst the Seraphim, as the bonding of Soulmates was a rare occurrence. Not three months later, the unexpected death of King Jinn took place, and Anakin ascended the throne as King, with Padme standing beside him as Queen. While Anakin was respected by the Seraphim as their King, Padme was highly regarded and much beloved as their Queen. 

With their rise to the crown, so did the tension between the Seraphim and Mankind.  
With a sudden surge of violence between the two Kingdoms, Anakin and Padme would find themselves traveling out of the Seraphim’s old home in Naboo to the castle in Coruscant to meet with King Palpatine, the King of the Humans, who had offered his court for discussion of ways to quell the rising disorder. Their arrival was met with great fanfare and celebration by the Court of Palpatine. Little did the royal family know that this trip wouldn’t be a short one; but would instead last almost nine months. As time went on, Padme was overjoyed to find out that she was pregnant and soon shared her news with her husband in the secret of their quarters. Following that news, the solution in quelling the tension between their Kingdoms started to seem more clear.

Anakin, being naïve, and having been filled with not only hope for his people, but overwhelming joy about the news from his expecting wife, did he not heed the warnings that his old friends Ahsoka and Obi-Wan Kenobi were telling him. He became blind to the signs that not all was right, he didn’t see the dangers that lurked about, and he failed to notice that Palpatine was not truthful about all of his intentions.  
It was not long for Palpatine to sink his wicked claws into the young King, using his silver tongue to spread doubt into Anakin’s mind, laying down the seeds that caused Anakin to withdraw from his friends, and with this new paranoia, he began to worry about the safety of his Soulmate, as nightmares began to plague his moments of rest.

After a night of final negotiations with Palpatine’s Court that would ensure the continued peace amongst the two Kingdoms, an attempt was made on Padme’s life. Following the attack, in which Palpatine sent his Captain of the Guard Dooku to track down the hired assassin, Anakin was wrought with stress and worry, causing him to become a great deal of anger.  
It was only when Palpatine suggested that he send the Queen home ahead of time, so that she may be safe while they finish tying up the loose ends. Filled with relief at this suggestion, Anakin agreed and sent Padme, along with Obi-Wan to protect her, to return back to Naboo right away. As he sent her off with a loving farewell, he promised he would be home soon and that he could not wait to hold their child, as they knew that she would be due soon. 

Unfortunately, Padme would not make it home. For, tragedy struck on the journey home and the group was attacked yet again, this time the attacker was none other than Captain of the Guard Dooku. Having been sent to kill the Queen under the orders of Palpatine. The cause of the stress for her life, caused Padme to go into an early labor and that night, she gave birth to the twins, Leia and Luke. Weakened by this, and not being able to escape, she begged Obi-Wan to take the twins and hide them, as she sensed her demise coming, she knew that her death would cause Anakin to spiral the moment their bond snapped, and as a result, her beloved would spiral. She didn’t want her children to have to be around their grief stricken father, to see him like that when that is not the man he usually was. After much heartbreak, Kenobi took flight, with the two babies in his arms. Watching him disappear from view, Padme was run through with the sword of Dooku, breathing in her last breath with the view of the stars in her gaze.

With the death of his Soulmate, having felt the pain of their bond snapping, Anakin did fall to the darkside. His heart broken, and learning of the attack from Ahsoka, Anakin became enraged; Once the truth of who planned the attacks, did he turn on the twisted King, and declared war against Mankind. Anakin was left to believe that he lost his unborn child and his wife that night, he was unknowing that Obi-Wan had taken his children to the hidden land of Alderaan. It was there that he gave Princess Leia to the Duke, Bail Organa, who took her in as his own daughter, and then proceed to hide Luke amongst the sandy lands of Tatooine, where he met with the Lars family, promising that when the time came, he would return to train the Prince. 

After Anakin’s fall, his mind went berserk with the heartbreak; he caused the fall of the Seraphim. Many died for his revenge, and many mourned as their young King turned cruel. It was not long after the Seraphim were defeated with their King slain, and thus was the rise of the Empire.

Many of the Seraphim tried to flee the land of Naboo when the Empire came to take over the Kingdom, knowing their only sanctuary would be in Alderaan. But not a lot was able to get away, as many were captured, and those that weren’t killed during the struggle, were forced into servitude by mankind.

As years passed, many began to forget the tyranny of Palpatine was the cause of the war, and soon the humans began to blame Anakin for wanting nothing more than power, that he was the one that betrayed their Kingdom, and the captive seraphim were tortured by their owners, being sold around the land by the size and beauty of their wings. From labor to pleasure, they were forced to listen to the command of mankind, as they weren’t able to fight back, and after the few that managed to take flight to their freedom, did mankind start to take measures to prevent more from being able to do the same. 

Many Seraphim were clipped, their wings sliced off painfully and preserved in ways that they could be displayed like trophies on a wall. But the owners that didn’t wish to have maimed Seraphim's, would take a different approach. Instead of clipping the wings, they would tag their Seraphim, using chains on their wings to prevent them from opening them. These chains were connected to a savage cuff and rod of iron that was oftentimes seared to the wing and any attempt to take this off would cause much pain to the Seraphim that was wearing it, making the only way to remove them was if the owner chose to release them. 

The rule of the Empire and the devastation of the Seraphim would last for nineteen years. Princess Leia Organa, rose to the throne to become Queen with her twin brother, Luke Skywalker becoming her Captain of the Guard, and soon the plans to take down Palpatine began. It was during these plans that Leia met and married her soulmate, Han Solo, who took on the role of King. Together, the trio were able to rally their troops and took on the Empire once more, though it was Luke that defeated King Palpatine, the signal of surrender was given by the human Duke Alastor Snoke, who would take up the crown of the King of Mankind. 

After the declaration was given, it did not take long for a treaty of peace to be signed after Snoke’s coronation. And though the peace between to the kingdoms were established, Queen Leia would be disheartened to find that King Snoke would not force his people to let the rest of her people go, and those that were captive, would remain as such if she wished to keep the guarantee of peace amongst the two Kingdoms. With the word of the King stating that if the owners of the enslaved Seraphim wish to release set their enslaved Seraphim free, then the Seraphim would be turned over to Queen Leia and her court immediately; Leia and her court had no choice but to return home to the High Mountains of Alderaan, the new kingdom for the Seraphim as it was unreachable by Mankind. 

And though she was thankful for the peace, she vowed to the stars that they would return to deliver the rest of her people out of their chains, and that she would not rest until they were all returned home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope that you stick around for the journey! <3
> 
> I am writing this story for Nanowrimo but it will most likely end up being a fairly long story if I am being honest. I don't have a set schedule for updates but I hope to update at least once a week so that it gives me time to write the chapter, do some editing, and also get a bit ahead in my chapters so I can just update on a fairly regular schedule.
> 
> I also apologize if characters end up being a little ooc for the first bit, I love these characters so much but I feel like I am not able to write them correctly so it might take sometime for me to get used to them. ^^"


	2. Chapter 1. Ben

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The introduction to Ben Solo, Prince of the Seraphim, along with a few other character introductions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> Thank you all for tuning in!  
> I just wanted to say welcome back and I hope you enjoy, more notes will be in the end notes! :)

Ben breathed heavily, sweat making his skin glisten as he gripped the hilt of his training sword hard, causing the leather of his gloves to squeak. His eyes darted between the six figures around him as they all paused to take in quick breaths and analyze one another to find the best way to take each other down as their opponent. 

Seconds ticked by in the silent room, Ben remaining tense, waiting for someone to strike, the only sound was their heavy breathing and the occasional rustling of clothing as they shifted their weight. Ben flexed his wings out a hair before he sprang into action, moving with a speed that one would not expect from a man his size. 

He swung his sword at the knight closest to him with a snarl, that knight being Ap’lek. The loud thud of the two wooden weapons cracked off the walls, sounding like thunder as the two grappled briefly before Ben pushed his body weight and managed to throw Ap’lek off his balance, quickly sweeping the man off of his feet before he spun around to block the blow that was incoming from Vicrul.  
The sparring match did not last much longer before Ben stood as the victor while his Knights of Ren huffed to catch their breath. Ben could have sworn he could hear Cardo grumbling and groaning in pain, causing him to huff out some breath in amusement at the Knights antics.

As Ben caught his breath, the door to their private training room pushed open and a males voice ringed out, causing the sweaty occupants to turn in attention.

“Would you look at that Hugs, the Prince wiped the floor with his special guard again.” The voice of course belonged to none other than Poe Dameron, a close friend of Ben’s that was part of the Queen’s chosen Knights, someone that Ben could see becoming the Captain of the Guard whenever Luke decides to finally retire. Right behind Poe, was none other than Ben’s other close friend, Armitage Hux, who was a Count from Arkanis.

Ben barely registered the grumbling protest of Hux muttering to Poe to ‘stop calling him Hugs’, a waste of breath if anyone were to ask Ben, as he knew that Poe wouldn’t stop until the day he breathed his last breath; before he caught a towel that had been thrown at him by Dameron so that he could wipe his face down. Ben started to flutter his wings a bit to help circulate the air around him as he brought the towl up to his face, smirking as Vicrul slugged Dameron in the arm as he made his way out of the room, tossing a challenge over his shoulder.

“Rub it in as long as you want, Dameron, but at least we can last a full fight with him before we get our hides handed to us.” Vicrul then bowed his head towards Ben in farewell before he fluttered his tawny wings and left the room, being followed by the other Knights as they cackled like the bunch of goons they are.  
Ben rolled his eyes and turned to Poe, relaxing his giant wings before he said.

“Did you want to have a round Dameron, or did you just come to torture me with your presense?” His tone may have been flat, but he knew that Poe wouldn’t take it personally, since this was a regular routine for the three of them. 

Poe shook his head and said,  
“You wish Solo, but I still remember the last time we had a scuffle and you did an idotic move that ended with your wing being sprained. I still feel the wrath that came from Leia because of course I was the one to be blamed.”

Hux let out a snort to this, his accent making him seem even more haughty than his posture ever could. “That’s because it was your fault, Dameron. If you hadn’t egged Solo on, you wouldn’t have been slapped, just admit that already.”

Poe rolled his eyes, shaking his head, “Anyways, moving on from that topic. Let’s head to the library before Hux has to get back to his wife, eh?” he stated, grinning and wiggling his eyebrows, causing Hux to blush and sputter at Poe in indignation, but Ben tuned them out, turning his back on them to put his wooden sword back on the bracket, grimacing briefly to himself before he cooled his expression to show indifference as he started to lead them towards the library, Hux having jumped into lecture mode while Poe did nothing but egg him on. 

As they walked, Ben let his thoughts drift away from the talk about Soulmates. Soulmates weren’t exactly a rare thing amongst the Seraphim anymore, but it was still greatly uncommon for a pair to find each other and spark their bond into life, and it was only another thing to try to live up to. 

After all, his Grandfather had his Grandmother, his Mother had his Father; his Uncle Luke had found his Aunt Mara. Even his Uncle Chewbacca had his Aunt Maz for Force sake! And yet, here he was, at the age of thirty-two and he has yet to even sense his Soulmate. 

He wouldn’t admit it to either of his friends, but the talk of Soulmates has always been a sore topic for him. Ever since he was young, he wanted nothing more to find his Soulmate, someone who would know and understand him in the deepest way, someone that was his other half. But as years went by, he began to feel less hopeful about it ever happening. He was happy for Hux, don’t get him wrong, but he couldn’t help but feel a little anger and jealousy that Hux had managed to find his soulmate, a quirky little mechanic named Rose Tico. 

“Maybe if I was actually allowed to go on the runs with dad I would be able to find my Soulmate.” He couldn’t help but think to himself bitterly. Of course, that wasn’t the only reason he wanted to go on the missions with his dad and his Uncle Chewbacca; he wanted to also go to try to help his people from their strife, help free them and bring them home. But so far his mother has yet to be persuaded, and despite their relationship having gotten better over the years, he can’t help but feel her fear that she would lose him to the darkside, as she did her birth father, Anakin Skywalker. 

Before his thoughts could spiral even more, he was snapped out of his own mind when Poe bumped shoulders with him, making him startle in surprise and whip around to face him, his wings arching and starting to bristle before he realized that Poe had only been trying to get his attention. This didn’t stop his two friends from cackling though while Ben could feel the tips of his ears start to burn in embarrassment as he cleared his throat.  
“What did you say? Sorry I got swept away in my own thoughts.”

Hux sneered at him and rolled his eyes, letting out a snarky ‘we noticed’ before he pushed into the library, heading towards the back corner that the trio usually hung out at, as he stated, his tone sounding exasperated, like he had to already repeat himself multiple times like the insufferable bantha he was.  
“I was telling you both about my experience of going with Phasma to the rehabilitation center to help her with getting some of the freed Seraphim more comfortable about being around more of their own kind and seeing all the clipped.” He plopped himself down in a chair, his fire-like wings laying relaxed on both sides of the chair, sighing heavily as he turned serious. “It was probably one of the most haunting things to see.”

Ben made himself comfortable in one of the other chairs as well, pursing his lips at the somber topic, even Poe seemed to sober up. Clipped Seraphim were some of the most devastating states that many of the freed Seraphim were in. It was almost like the humans only wanted to free their Seraphim once they took their wings. Like a last punch to the gut that would carry on with the Seraphim for the rest of their lives. Ben pulled a stack of scrolls towards him while Hux poured himself a small glass of scotch, continuing on with a tone of anger and disgust dripping from every word.

“I honestly can’t believe that Mankind would do such a cruel thing. Did you know when they clip the wings they hold down their victims and just slice them off with a dagger or sword? I always thought they at least had the mercy to knock them out or something.” This caused all three to shudder as they could only imagine the torment to go through such a thing.

Ben sighed and sat back, opening up a scroll but not registering what it said as he frustratingly expressed to his friends.  
“I know, I’ve talked with some of the victims myself whenever I go and visit them and it sickens me every time. I just,” he paused and swallowed harshly as he felt his ever present temper start to rise, “I just wish that there was something we could do to free them faster. The longer we wait around, the more likely tagged Seraphim out there become clipped. And I just know that if I was able to go out on the field as well that I would be able to help.” 

Ben lifted his gaze from the scroll that he still had no idea was about to make eye contact with his two sober friends and added, “Out of everyone here I am the only force user, besides Luke that is, that could help negotiate with the human owners to release their Seraphim. I’d also be able to save Dad from constantly getting into the trouble he always seems to wind up in.”

Poe snorted at that as he lifted a drink up to his mouth, “Ain’t that the truth. I swear, for as much luck as Han seems to have, he always seems to say the wrong thing that just causes a brawl. If it weren’t for Chewbacca being there, I’m sure a whole fight would occur.”

Hux opened his mouth to say something when his eyes landed on a girl with light yellow wings waiting patiently just over Ben’s shoulder.  
“Oh, hello Kaydel.” Hux greeted her, causing the other two to turn around and Kaydel dipped her head in greeting with a smirk.

“Hello boys,” she fixed Ben with a mischievous look, “Leia has been looking for you Ben, kept saying that she was going to strangle you if you kept avoiding her because she has something important to discuss with you.”

Ben rolled his eyes at that and stood, making his way towards the door as he muttered, “I’m not avoiding her, she just refuses to look farther than the conference chambers,” before he asked Kaydel louder, “Where is she?” Kaydel flexed her wings in amusement, watching him pass, as she gave him a mocking look of empathy. 

“Last I saw her, she was in the oval war room meeting Admiral Ackbar and Lord Lando.”  
Ben only thanked her with a grunt, telling Hux and Poe that he’ll catch up with them later before he walked out of the library and took flight towards some of the upper levels to the war room. As he flew, he began to feel like he knew what this talk would be about, and despite his attempts to quell it, his hope started to rise with the thought of potentially finally being able to participate in the freeing of his people.

When he landed just outside the room, he was not surprised to see the number of Seraphim running about, this particular room was always busy after all, and he was also thankful that his Uncle Lando seemed to have already left, he didn’t need his childish nickname to come up around so many ears after all.

When he did finally spot his mother, he was not surprised to see her in the farthest corner surrounded by the sheer number of officers that were moving about with her, whether they were relaying communications with the other regions, or they were collecting the data from the recon sensors. Ben rolled his eyes as he imagined a queen bee with her worker bees, likening the scene before him to that. 'And to think that will have to be my position once I ascend the throne.' He thought to himself, quickly brushing that thought aside and continues to make his way into the room, trying his best to weave around the officers instead of just plowing through with his sheer size, though it wasn’t very hard as many Seraphim were still intimidated by him. He occasionally nodded his head in greeting when people began to notice his presence. 

As he drew closer, he recognized the lavender haired woman with the silvery wings that was currently in deep conversation with Leia, was none other than her advisor, Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo. It wasn’t long until the two women finally caught sight of him, and once he was close enough, he was gently embraced by his short mother and greeted by Holdo.  
“I see that Kaydel managed to find you in whatever corner you were hiding in.” Leia spoke, her eyes lighting with humor that betrayed her dry tone. Ben rolled his eyes at this and got a light slap to the arm for the action as he spoke with the same bit of sarcasm that he gets from Han.

“That corner is always in the library, which I know you know, as that is always where Kaydel finds me whenever you send her to summon me.” Holdo smiled and turned to Leia, raising her eyebrow that clearly stated she found the two amusing with their back and forth. Leia just gave Ben’s cheek a sharp pat before she turned back to Holdo.

“Since my son finally arrived to discuss the topics needed, I will make sure to find you after to continue going over the improvements that we can make for Takodona’s region. For now, can you please take control here and ensure that we aren’t interrupted unless absolutely dire?” 

Holdo again nodded and said, “Of course.” She then smirked at Ben before he was dragged away down a side hall, towards what he would assume would be his mother's personal office. As they crossed the doorway, he heard a sly, “good luck.” from Holdo. After that he turned to look at Leia, who had stopped dragging him, following close behind her but didn’t say anything as they walked in silence.

When they stepped into Leia’s office and he saw Han sprawled in a chair with his signature, mischievous smirk on his face, Ben could feel his spine straightened and his wings grow stiff at his back, immediately sensing that something was up and he had to beat down the hope that was beginning to rise once more, as this could only mean one thing.

The trio remained silent as they all proceeded to take a seat and just stared at each other until Leia was the first to speak up.

“I know you have been wanting get off of Alderaan and go on the rescue runs with your father, and I will be the first to admit that I should have allowed you to do so for quite sometime now, especially since you have been an adult for awhile,” Leia paused and gave Ben a soft gaze before she sighed. “But I guess that it is time for me to admit that the reason I haven’t allowed it is because I was trying to protect my sweet boy from seeing the full horrors of what a lot of our people have been subjected to.” 

Han shifted and his movement drew Ben’s attention from Leia to focus on him as he cleared his throat, his father looking like he swallowed a pill that didn’t go fully down as he struggled to keep his emotions in check, Han had never been comfortable at showing soft emotions after all.  
“Listen kid, I’ll just cut to the chase for your Mother and say that things are getting pretty dire amongst the humans. Despite the fact that we have had a treaty of peace that keeps us from being harmed and forced into slavery, it doesn’t stop the humans from doing whatever they please to captive Seraphim, in fact, we just got word that there was a-” He was cut off mid-sentence from Leia clearing his throat, Ben not missing the sharp look his mother gave his father, causing Han wave his hand in her direction, muttering a quiet ‘I know Princess, I know.’ before he continued. “Look, what I’m saying is that your mother and I think that it is about time that you come along with me on these runs so you can fully see what the situation is, so that you can better serve our people and prepare you as a Prince.” 

Ben nodded at this, trying to not seem enthused by this news, he wasn’t dense, he knew that things were bad for the captive Seraphim, it just sounded like his parents were being far more dramatic in relaying it then what he thought it would end up being.  
‘This was the moment, this is the moment that I can finally make a true difference.’

Leia’s eyes were sharp as she held Ben’s gaze, and Ben knew that this was the Queen looking at him in this moment, not his mother.  
“Han leaves on the next run in four days time, and I want you to be prepared for that. You are two choose two of your Knights of Ren that will be traveling with you for your safety, considering that two members of the royal family will be going down to the humans, I don’t want to leave anything up to chance. Han will be giving you a full run down as you travel before you travel, but for now what you need to know is that you’ll be traveling to the settlements of Jakku to talk to a few of the Seraphim there. You are to keep yours eyes open with your ears close to the ground, pay attention to the situation there and if possible, try to talk to any of the owners into handing over the captives. You are not to engage in violence or do anything that would threaten the treaty, do you understand?”

Ben dipped his head in confirmation, his face completely serious and void of any emotions as the sense of just how serious these runs will be started to settle in. “I understand, and will try my best to rescue who I can.”

Leia only gave a sharp nod before she smirked. “And of course, using the force on occasion to help sway sometimes, shouldn’t hurt.” She winked before she shuffled some papers around on her desk without any real need and dismissed Ben to talk some things over with his Father. Ben nodded as he quickly left the room. Once the door closed behind him, he finally let the smirk enter his face as he felt the pride at the news he had just received. He had no doubt that the task before him would be easy as he was strong in the force, and his size could easily be taken as intimidating. 

Just as he was about to turn the corner, having decided to head back to the library to see if Hux and Poe were still there, he started to slow down when he felt a chill go down his spine, his wings slowly starting to bristle as he left a presence near him. He looked around but didn’t see anyone when he was struck with a painful pressure in his head. His hand flying to his left temple as he stumbled and caught himself on the wall as the pain built almost unbearably, feeling like talons were digging into his skull and muffling the sound around him.  
The pain ceased as quickly as it appeared, and Ben heard something that he hasn’t heard since he was a child that cowered in the dark, a voice that only said a few words.

“Darkness rises, and light to meet it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope that you stick around for the journey! <3
> 
> As stated previously, I am writing this story for Nanowrimo.  
> The good news is, I finally got the story fully mapped out and the number of chapters figured out! Yay!  
> I also have decided to Tuesday's will most likely end up being my update days, unless something comes up that prevents me from doing so, but it is my goal to at least update once a week. ^^
> 
> This chapter was a little longer than the first one, but who doesn't like long chapters?  
> Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and please leave a comment down below telling me what you think! I love to hear thoughts and I promise I don't bite haha. 
> 
> I have been working on something on the side for this story so hopefully I have it ready to share by time I get the next chapter finished. Guess we will see haha.
> 
> I also apologize if characters end up being a little ooc for the first bit, I love these characters so much but I feel like I am not able to write them correctly so it might take sometime for me to get used to them. ^^"
> 
> See you all next week, stay safe! <3


	3. Chapter 2. Rey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introduction to Rey, the desert performer that is honestly a little feral.  
> She may feel alone, but at least she has one friend by her side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> Thank you all for tuning in!  
> I just wanted to say welcome back and I hope you enjoy, more notes will be in the end notes! :)

‘Come back! Come back! No!’

The cries of Rey's past continued to ring in her ear as she jolted awake. The ghost of her memory from when she was a little girl watching as her mother flew away, leaving her in the unbearably hot desert lingering in her mind before she rapidly blinked the memory away and worked on slowing down her breathing.

The world remained muffled as she continued to stare blankly at the metal wall that was across from her little hammock that acts as her sleeping place in the chilly, metal box that has become her home ever since her capture. Slowly, her eyes roved over the seemingly endless etches that mar the metal, rows upon rows of little lines that were tallies marking the days since her freedom was taken from her. As she looked over these markings, the world around her began to reach her ears from beyond the canvas walls of the tent that she resided in. 

Since the air was not quite sweltering, and the streams of light that were creeping through the gaps, Rey could tell that Niima Outpost was still just beginning to awaken. The scavengers would have left already to the sandy dunes in order to pick through the scraps that remain from the final battle between the Seraphim and Mankind. Despite the scavengers being gone, that did not make Niima quiet in the slightest.

Rey could hear the shrill of flutes and the metallic plucking of a oud as the other entertaining Seraphim were forced to perform for the meager amount of visitors that travel through Niima on the rare occasion. On top of these was a steady stream of voices as the merchants called out to catch attention to their wares that they hoped to sell. From the food stalls that caused delicious scents to waft along in the breeze to sparse materials that only look to be in good quality, Rey knew that the sellers would bump their prizes in order to pick as many credits off the poor soul that showed even an ounce of interest.

If Rey strained her ears hard enough, she could also pick up on the telling calls from the sellers in the black market, as well as the hoots from the pleasure tents that were also spread about. The sounds from around her caused a grimace to appear on Rey’s face once again as the familiar noises brought back the memory that haunt her dreams frequently. 

It had not been that long ago that Rey would have been amongst that crowd, pushing her way through the overcrowded bazaar so that she could tend to her findings that she had managed to find on her trip out to scavenge. She would have bickered with the others in order to claim a spot at the cleaning station that she only used when desperate, as Teedo would charge her half her portions in price for the convenience his station presented.

She couldn’t see any of them though, she could only sit and listen, and this didn’t change the face that while she should be happy that she didn’t have to struggle around in the scorching sun, trying to scavenge parts to sell to Unkar Plutt for only a quarter of portions anymore, she would be the first to admit that she would rather be doing that than being in her current situation.

Rey looked around her enclosure before peeking around the sad excuse for a privacy curtain to look around the rest of her cage. Pulling away when she was greeted with a still empty tent. It was empty the majority of the time anyways, unless a traveler came through and bought a show, but Rey missed being able to travel more than ten steps in any direction before she was unable to go farther. Surrounded by bars that made her feel like she was nothing more than an animal in a circus, she lived in a glorified birdcage that was so lonely that she missed her old residence she had built in her AT-AT before her discovery. At least there she had been able to trick herself into thinking she was happy with her situation.

She let out a sigh before she stood up and stretched, the chains on her wings allowing just a bit of stretch before she felt the sharp tug with the gentle rattle of the metal that caused pain to shoot through her wing. This was such a common occurrence, that Rey had stopped wincing awhile ago. 

‘I should have left a long time ago.’ She thought to herself as she remembered the sight of her Mother flying away from where she had placed her in the desert, her Father having separated from them a little earlier, telling her Mother to meet up with them at a rendezvous point. Deep down, Rey still longed for her parents, longed to have the chance to ask them if they had truly cared for her to the point that something had forced them to abandon her, or if she had just been a weight they didn’t wish to bear any longer.

It was due to her naive thoughts that they would return for her that kept her from truly leaving Jakku. ‘They’ll be back for me. They will.’ She would tell herself as she learned how to bind her wings closer to her body and under flowy attire that allowed her to blend in with Mankind, she learned how to appear human to the point that no one ever suspected a thing.

She had managed to pull this feat off for many years until Plutt started to suspect something about her, she still didn’t know what had cause the man to catch onto her, but he and some of this lackey’s had ambushed her in the AT-AT, pining in her down in the torch light as they pulled her wings out painfully into the open to take a look at them. 

By time the ambush had happened, Rey hadn’t been able to fully beat them off with her staff, having suffered through the years of constant malnourishment, she had been so weakened that when she was able to take flight, she hadn’t been quick enough to avoid the ropes that looped around her and sent her crashing to the ground. They had made quick work in subduing her and piercing her wings to place the rod and shackles deeply in them, the pain having caused Rey to scream out into the darkened night, the use of her wings becoming limited by force from that moment on.

Rey was placed into her birdcage, and come morning, she was trained to dance and sing through means of torture and pain, learning how to perform for those that paid Plutt a bag of credits to see her.

She went from being a scavenger to nothing more than a glorified songbird. It was not long before Rey stopped hoping for her parents' return, and with it, so did her habit of etching on the walls the number of days that had passed since she was abandoned. She instead started to count the days her freedom was ripped from her.

Rey picked up the small stone that she had placed in the corner of her room where the scratches had last halted and began to scratch a new line next to the one she had made last night. She dropped the stone once she was satisfied and was soon jerked out of her thoughts when she heard the distinct sound of a small group entering the tent and walking towards her cage. 

Rey felt her wings start to puff up in response and her lips began to pull back into a snarl until she heard the familiar male voice call out, “Morning Peanut,” along with the sound of the cage door being opened and followed closely by the deep clang as the door was shut and locked. 

She remained quiet as she heard two more people walk away from her cage, it was only when she peeked around the curtain to confirm that Plutt’s goon’s had left that she smiled faintly at her dark skinned friend, and stepped fully out of her enclosure. 

“Hello Finn,” she greeted, walking over to the man who was currently holding a small cloth that hosts the full loaf of a portion that she knows Finn most likely snuck out of the mess tent that the other Seraphims eat in. She gently pulled him into an embrace, happy to push back the overwhelming sense of loneliness that was threatening to drown her not moments before. 

As she hugged him, she felt a stab of pain in her heart as she glanced at where Finn’s wings should be, instead, all that was left was two stumps where they had sheared them off. When she pulled back, she caught the gaze of Finn, who was admittedly the only friend that she has ever had, and in turn, the only person that she allows to get even remotely close to her without her mauling him.  
Finn seemed to know what Rey was dwelling on, giving her arm a squeeze.

“Hey, it’s okay.” He assured her before he playfully shoved her and lifted up the bundle for her to see more clearly. “Now, stop dwelling on that. I was able to snag a good piece of portion and wanted to share it with you.”

A snort left Rey at that as they both made themselves comfortable on the floor. Finn opened the cloth up and tore the loaf in half, handing over Rey her half before he dug into his own. Rey was quick to demolish her half, speaking around mouthfuls as she asked.

“So, what has been happening around Niima that I should know about?” 

Finn seemed to quietly chide her for talking with a full mouth as he plopped another piece into his mouth, making a point to chew and swallow before he answered her question.

“Well, Ainhoa’s husband passed away a couple of nights ago, looked like he had been sick or something, though some of the other Seraphim thinks the malnutrition finally claimed him, and she notified Plutt that she was setting free the twins, Icelyn and Nash. It caused a bit of an uproar amongst the humans. Guess they didn’t like the idea of the two Seraphim getting their freedom.” 

Surprise coursed through Rey as she tilted her head and asked in confusion, despite the fact that she had mixed feelings about hearing the two Seraphim being set free. “Oh? What caused her to come up with that decision?”

Finn shrugged, “She stated that it was because she was old and didn’t like the idea of the two Seraphim being marketed off to some random buyer when she finally passes on. Apparently she has had the two since they were born and has come to care for them in some kind of manner.” He plopped another piece of bread into his mouth, letting Rey process what he had just stated before he exclaimed, “Oh yeah!” causing Rey to startle slightly in surprise as she whipped her gaze back to him from where it had been trailing around the base of the bars in thought.

“I almost forgot the most exciting part of the news that is spreading around!” Finn continued on, looking more excited and animated than Rey has ever seen before and remained quiet as Finn began to go into a long tirade of something Rey honestly couldn’t understand as he was speaking so quickly. She rolled her eyes and gave a small clearing of her throat that Finn snapped to attention.

“Oh, sorry, got a little carried away,” he said, rubbing the back of his head. “There is word that King Solo and Prince Ben will be coming to Jakku in four days, you know, to do their rounds of trying to free some of us captive Seraphim and take us back home.” Finn trailed off into another tirade of why this news was exciting for him that Rey tuned out briefly as her heart began to beat faster for a reason she couldn’t define. It wasn’t like she would be able to see the King or the Prince, and if she did, they would more than likely just overlook her due to the fact that Plutt wouldn’t ever grant her freedom with the amount of credits he makes off of her.

“Wouldn’t that be great if Plutt met them and just decided to finally let us go? To finally give us our freedom?” Finn asked with a wistful, yet hopeful, tone to his voice, causing Rey to snort in disbelief at that and state with almost a scornful tone.

“Yeah right, we both know that the only way that Plutt will let us go is if we lose our value and become worthless to him.” 

When Finn didn’t respond to this, she looked over to him to find him drawing random symbols in the sand that has made its way into her cage, a look of sadness in his eyes that caused Rey to be filled with guilt at her comment, knowing that despite Finn having become clipped, he was the one with most hope for a freedom that Rey believes will never come. 

She opened her mouth to apologize and try to cheer up Finn, willing even to pretend that she has the same hope just to make Finn feel better when the next thing Finn muttered sent a shiver down her spine.

“One can’t really know what the future holds Rey, you’ll see.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope that you stick around for the journey! <3
> 
> I've been ensuring to do a little editing of the story before I post on Tuesday's but sorry if things are a little off, as my tag states I don't have a beta reader, and as my favorite tag here on the site goes "No Beta, we die like Men."
> 
> I've been working on a few things for this fanfiction, namely the character designs of the characters with their wings. I am suffering a little from artist block but hoping to push through soon! I might also put together a playlist of the music that I have been listening to while writing these chapters if anyone is interested?
> 
> Anyways, hang in there, Ben and Rey get to meet each other very soon and then the real fun begins! :D
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and please leave a comment down below telling me what you think!  
> See you all next week, stay safe! <3


	4. Chapter 3. Ben

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plot can finally begin.   
> Ben goes on his first mission in delivering Seraphim to freedom and he learns some pretty interesting things. It isn't actually what he was expecting, that was for sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> Thank you all for tuning in!  
> I just wanted to say welcome back and I hope you enjoy, more notes will be in the end notes! :)

The next four days passed quickly for Ben. Not only did he have to start fighting back the voice that had haunted his entire childhood, getting headaches for his efforts; he also was busy reading up on the life of Jakku, all the while catching short snippets from his Father about the mission. And it would be a large understatement if Ben were to admit that he feels like he didn’t get the complete rundown. 

Despite this, Ben found that when he rose way before the sun would, heading down to the hangar bay, he was feeling pretty confident in what was expected of him. And he most definitely didn’t have any doubts about his ability in the Force. 

The halls were vacant with only the skeleton night crew running about, a few of the ones that Ben passed were chugging mugs of caf while looking like they were steps from passing out in their beds, which thankfully wouldn’t be too long for them if he recalled the shifts correctly. He was able to make it to the end of the corridor and lift himself off in flight, enjoying the cool, peaceful night air that was only ever unique to the extremely early mornings. 

As he began to lazily glide downwards to the hangar, Ben let his mind drift back to what he knew about this mission. He knew that they would be taking the Millenium Falcon, an old light freighter ship that was always used for these missions, since they would be traveling all over and having to transport Seraphim that either lost their ability to fly completely or were had just weak wings in general from the years of none use.

Ben flapped his wings as he came to the next point he knew. He knew that Jakku was a difficult place for those that lived there, the land was nothing but blistering hot sand, due to the sun that did nothing but beat down relentlessly on its inhabitants, making them tough and practically hostile. And despite being on the Western reaches of the Human Kingdom, and being one of the civilizations that were on the inner rim, they did not see much support come from the King and his subjects. 

The bright lights of the hanger came into view as he went over the final point he knew in his mind. Jakku had long since split into two different outposts, having started to be known by two different names due to the two different Lords that resided there. Ben knew from what Han told him, they would be visiting the outpost Tuanul, as between the two outposts, they were the most welcoming to the Seraphim, and from what Ben heard, the only village in the kingdom of Humans that did not have enslaved Seraphim. 

Just the mere thought of this caused Ben to snort as he started to descend into the hangar, the thought of any human not taking advantage of Seraphim kind for their own gain seems highly unlikely. Ben felt a small thrill of excitement at the thought of what lay ahead of him, his heart seeming to do a small jig, one that he played off as just finally being able to see things for himself instead of second hand, at the mere thought of what this day would bring.

“Morning Ben!” He heard a chipper call, causing him to break out of his thoughts and turn to look towards the short Seraphim that had called out to him, the voice belonging to none other than the mate of Hux, one Rose Tico. He couldn’t help but smile because of how friendly Rose always was, though he knew that despite her sweet exterior, she could be quite the spitfire, having witnessed her chewing out a cowering Hux more than a handful of times for something stupid the arrogant prick always seemed to commit. 

“Morning Rose,” he greeted, as she got closer to him, the dark-haired Seraphim pulling him into a hug, her black flecked, white wings flaring out in the midst of her joy. Ben, being as large as he was, had to lean down to return the hug as she was a head shorter than him. “Guessing you’re part of the engineering crew that will be seeing us off this morning?” He asked as he did so before he withdrew, taking a small step back.

Rose smirked up at him as she started to walk in the direction where a small crowd had formed just at the base of the ramp for the Falcon. “Yeah, Hux wanted to be here as well, but you know him and his beauty sleep.” She shook her head fondly at the thought of her mate before she added, “he pouted when he learned I wouldn’t be home until late, but he did send his wish of luck to you.”

Ben chuckled, not surprised to hear any of this. “Well, thank him for me.” Rose nodded, giving a quick salute before she rushed over to what looked to be Tana and Taeler, most likely to conduct a final checklist as they drew closer to their departure. He turned his attention to the small group, proud to see that his two chosen knights, Vicrul and Kuruk, were already amongst the group, the two having found a place to sit amongst some crates. He also made note of the usual medic was amongst them, Ben couldn’t recall her name, but he could see that she was shuffling through her bag, so he assumed she was doing the last run through her supplies to ensure she had everything. 

He was surprised to see his Uncle Luke and Aunt Mara in the small crowd, the two usually keeping to themselves on their remote farm ever since Skywalker had more or less retired as Captain of the Guard. Ben tightened his fists a fraction and his teeth ground slightly but he pushed himself forward and drew in a deep breath to calm himself down, moving his gaze away from Skywalker. 

He and Luke had a very tense relationship after their huge falling out that had happened years ago, and while Ben was trying to repair his relationship with his family, he still got a bit angry whenever he had to face his Uncle, something that did not happen a lot. He surveyed the rest of the group, just noting the small skeleton crew that was running around, barking instructions with each other, and he also noted that he didn’t see Han or his other Uncle Chewbacca, most likely due to them being in the Falcon doing their last rundown before they would depart as well. 

At the sound of Ben’s footsteps, he watched as the people standing in the lingering crowd started to turn their attention on to his approaching form and Ben watched as Luke’s expression seemed to close off before the man opened his mouth, most likely to spew some kind of arrogant nonsense that did nothing but rile Ben up, but was unable to get a sound out before his mother appeared at the top of the ramp. 

Ben had no doubt it was due to her sense of his approaching presence in the Force, causing her to come out before Skywalker and him could start something if the stern expression that she flashed Luke said anything. 

After causing her brother to take a step back, his mother turned to him with a warm smile that spoke how proud she was of him. “It’s a good thing you have good timing, you all need to start leaving if you want to arrive at Tuanul at a good time.” She turned to the rest of the group. “Best start boarding and remember what our overall objective is. Bring as many of our people home.” She paused while she made eye contact with all of them before she finished with a “May the Force be with you all.”

At that signal, the medic and his knights started to make their way up their ramp while Ben paused to give his mother a hug, bending over slightly to do so while she wrapped him briefly in her dark brown wings before they both pulled away while Leia whispered a small ‘be safe.’ Ben didn’t even glance at his Uncle as he made his way up the ramp, nodding goodbye to Rose before he hit the button that would close it. Once the ramp was securely closed, Ben made his way quickly to the cockpit, both feeling and hearing as the ship started up. He barely made it to the cockpit to sit behind his father as the Falcon lifted up and Chewie began to guide them out into the open.

Han glanced over his shoulder, “Ready son?” And when all Ben could manage is a grin and a nod, Han smirked back at him before he turned on the thrusters and sped them towards their destination.

♦♢❖♢♦

The entire flight was spent playing on the dejarik table, or mainly, Vicrul and Kuruk had been the ones to play while Ben just sat on the sidelines, rolling his eyes whenever the two would start to bicker. 

By the time the Falcon started to land in Tuanul, Ben standing in the cockpit to watch, the sun had already made its way high into the sky to the point that it wouldn’t be long before it started to set. He was a little shocked to see that the outpost of Tuanul was nestled in a ravine, the surrounding area nothing more than rolling dunes of sand, the sun blaring off the sand brightly to the point that Ben could swear he felt the heat despite the air-conditioned cabin. As they maneuvered into the ravine to a small spot, just outside the outposts limit, Ben could feel just how much cooler the outside air would be. ‘They chose to build their outpost in this ravine to help protect themselves from the heat.’ Ben realized as they finally touched down, his father and uncle working on shutting down the Falcon. 

As they did this, Ben watched as many of the residents started to peek out of their domes, some even making their way towards them. He was even more shocked when he spotted quite a few Seraphim amongst the crowd, all of them had smiles on their faces as they walked side by side with some of the humans. He even noticed a few running around alongside some children.

His father stood with a small grunt, a hand kneading into his lower back to relieve some of the tension that was due from the constant sitting before he turned to Ben and must have caught his surprised expression because he did his sly smirk as he asked.  
“Not what you were expecting, huh kid?” 

Ben looked at his father and nodded, “Yeah, just a bit.” Han scoffed at his words and clap his shoulder as he passed him, heading out of the cockpit, throwing out a ‘Well, there is plenty more to see.’  
When they entered out into the main lobby, everyone was already standing near the ramp and at the ready. Han was the one to hit the button to lower the ramp, obviously being the one to lead the group while Ben and Chewie followed close behind him, his personal knights behind him while a few of the other guards spread out around them, though he noticed they were all pretty relaxed.

As Ben stepped foot onto the sand, he had to fight back the urge to grimace, despite the breeze the ravine caused, the heat was still just enough that Ben could feel the prickling on the back of his neck that he didn’t doubt would be drenched with sweat soon. He also did not like thinking of just how much sand will end up in his boots, he has heard that sand gets everywhere and takes forever to clean.

The group stopped just in front of the inhabitants of Tuanul, the silence was thick enough to cut with a knife and he took the time to study them. He noted how many of the Seraphim were whispering amongst each other, looking nothing like the haunted Seraphim he often sees get set free when they were brought back from Alderaan. They looked relaxed and nothing short of excited, while the humans of the group were also whispering though their expressions were less excited and more...awed?

Ben couldn’t help but feel confused. Were there more places like this? If so, why were the Seraphim here more happy while the vast majority he has seen look lost and haunted? He watched as the crowd started to split, making way for an elderly man with a face that reminded Ben of some of the academics that he has spent time with.  
As he got closer, Han called out, his tone having an amused tilt to it. “Well, if it isn’t an old friend.” 

The old man raised an amused eyebrow at his father and greeted. “And if it isn’t the old smuggler turned king, Han Solo.” Han did nothing more than snort at this as the man turned to Ben and let out a small sound of realization. “Ah, if it isn’t the young Prince, Ben Solo. Welcome to the Jakku outpost, Tuanal.” He gave a very small bow, just barely bending at the hip.

Ben cleared his throat and tried to pull himself together, managing to sound far more put together than he was feeling. “Thank you for your welcome…”, he trailed off, realizing that he didn’t actually know the man's name, and when the man fixed him with a brightly humored smile, he was happy that his hair covered the tips of his ear that had started to burn.

“My name is Lor San Tekka, the proclaimed Lord of Tuanul,” He stepped and side-swept his hand out welcomingly towards the largest tent that stood in the middle of the outpost. “Please, let’s go inside and eat while we talk.” With that, everyone started to make their way to the tent and Ben walked alongside Tekka, who started to explain, his voice reminding him a bit of Skywalker’s whenever he started in on his righteous lectures, without the arrogant tone, of course. “The people here in Tuanul want nothing more than peace between our two kingdoms, we have come together due to our like minds in holding respect for you and your people. You see, we strive to do anything we are capable of to help the Seraphim kind and we believe that it was the hubris of Mankind that has caused the war that the Seraphim suffered for.”

Ben was shocked again to hear this, the actual word of a man admitting that they stood by the Seraphim, instead of their own kind and being led by curiosity, Ben asked. “As much as I am grateful to hear that, why would you possibly stand by us? What would you gain?” 

Lor San Tekka nodded his head like he understood why Ben would ask that question, not looking at all offended as he kept his calm demeanor. “Why, we don’t expect anything in return for doing what is right,” he glanced at Ben and asked, “You see, Seraphim are the only living thing here on this planet that has been found to have a deeper connection with the Force. And the first Seraphim has been said to have been crafted from the Force itself.” There was a pause in their conversation, as they ducked into the cooler tent, and settled down on small cushions around the large banquet table that was loaded with food. Once they were settled, Tekka continued in his telling. “The Seraphim are strong and have always upheld moral and spiritual codes. They should not be enslaved, nor should they be maimed in the way that they should. Rather, they should be revered for the light and hope that they represent.” 

Ben remained silent at this, mulling over what he has just learned, using the excuse of stuffing his face with a stew with Tip Yip chunks. He didn't fully understand what Tekka was telling him until he caught sight of a mural of three Seraphim on the far wall, the three figures painted in a way that made them look ethereal. That is when it clicked for Ben. The outpost of Tuanul viewed the Seraphim kind of like deities because of their connection with the Force, Ben couldn’t help but shift as he felt a little uncomfortable about this realization, though a part of him also felt a deep twinge of pleasure at the thought of being worshipped 

He looked around at the Seraphim that they come to pick up and take home, smiling softly at how happy and at ease they were; his attention was drawn back to Lor San Tekka when the elderly man spoke up once again, his voice still holding that tone of wisdom that makes Ben wonder just what the man has experienced to get to where he is. “We try to rescue as many as we can from Plutt without drawing much attention to ourselves since we wouldn’t be much help if we got in trouble with the King or any member of his court. Many of the Seraphim you see before you have long been cast out into the mercy of the dunes, usually sent out to scavenge for their survival. They were very fortunate to have been found by us when they had collapsed, as many were near death; which I do not doubt that Plutt believes was their fate in that end. Luckily, we were able to nurse them back to health.”

Ben nodded and stated a deep “Thank you”, though it was waved away by the elder who just shook his head, stating, “Again, there is no need to thank us for doing what is right my boy.” The man quieted as he stroked his beard in thought before he continued. “As you can see, we have been able to remove the shackles of the tagged, and were even able to help them strengthen their wings once more, though we have not been able to help those that never learned how to fly,” he glanced at Ben from the corner of his eyes, a small look of amusement of the thought of even attempting that feat flashing through his face before he turned somber once more, shifting his gaze back to the surrounding people. “As for those that were clipped, we have tried our hardest to rehabilitate them. But do not be mistaken young Ben. They still bear the pain and scars that come from their torment, and could take many years to even begin to heal those.” He turned again to look him fully in the eye as he said with a somber, yet stern caution. “The journey ahead of you will not be easy, and you must remember to remain strong despite the sights that you may see, do not let your visit here soften your expectations.”

Ben swallowed, feeling a bit of anger at the thought of being talked down to, something that seemed to be a trend; feeling underestimated when he was obviously prepared for what might greet him, though he was quick to tamper it down, keeping his face empty of this emotion as Lor San Tekka leaned closer to him and whispered to Ben, his words causing his eyes to widen a fraction.

“We try our best in helping the Seraphim around us get free, and let it be known that if this were to end in war once again, you have our word that we would gladly, despite our wish for peace, stand at your side.” Another pause before he said even quieter. “There is a disturbance amongst our kingdom, and we know of many that would vow the same thing.” With that, Tekka drew away from Ben, looking as if the exchange did not even happen, he moved to stand up and said warmly. “Now then, enough of that somber talk, I do believe the sun should have set enough for the sand to cool, why don’t we move outside so that the young ones can continue in spending their energy and you can get to know the new Seraphim, yes?” 

Ben caught the amused look of Han, who Ben realized that he hasn’t heard him making much conversation, though he was speaking with a woman with dark hair, relaxed enough that Ben recognized the human must be an old friend of his fathers that he was catching up with while Ben talked with San Lor Tekka.

When they stepped outside, Ben was relieved to see that Tekka had been right about the temperature having turned more comfortable. He spotted a small group of Seraphim that were sitting on some stones, talking joyously around a small campfire and he figured he might as well start with talking with them so he could make his way around the others. But as he took a step forward, the world around him seemed to brighten, a warmth like nothing he has felt before that chased away the darkness that the ever-present voice had dragged from the depths of his mind and he turned his head to look down the ravine, towards the setting sun where he heard a ringing coming from that direction. ‘No, not a ringing.’ Ben corrected himself, it sounded like a call, a call that was beckoning him to come to it, and Ben, he wanted nothing more than to obey.

The moment was shattered when a firm hand landed on his shoulder, causing the warm feeling to fade and the darkness to surge back in a way that Ben had to hide a wince as he looked at Lor San Tekka, the one who had placed his hand on Ben like he was trying to stop Ben from going to the voice. Tekka smiled softly at him and said. “Ah, I see you have heard the Call of R'iia.” 

“The Call of what?” Ben so gracefully asked, though he did not get a response from the man, who did nothing more but smile knowingly at Ben before he patted his shoulder and walked away from him, making his way over to the medic, who was checking over some of the younger Seraphim. Ben watched him walk away, his eyebrows stitched in confusion before he forced himself to continue towards the group he had originally been making his way to. His Knights followed nearby, not close enough to scare those that may wish to talk with him. When he came up to the group, he noted that many of them halted in the middle of their words, their smiles sliding off of their faces as they instantly became wary of him, while the others just greeted him like they were old friends, one of them even patting a rock for him to join them as they began to ask questions about what they could expect from Alderaan and Ben quickly found himself pulled into an easy conversation with a friendly, bald, Seraphim by the name of Tai. 

It was in the middle of this conversation that Ben caught a glimpse of Han and Lor San Tekka slip away from the others and into a tent, both of them glancing around as if they didn’t want to be noticed. The feeling of something bigger was happening struck him in the gut and he could hear the dark voice whisper in the back of his mind, “Despite them finally allowing you on these missions, your parents still obviously don’t trust you.” 

Ben’s anger flared at this and a sour taste was left in his mouth, and despite being around those that were making friendly conversation with him, none of them seemed to notice his shift in his mood, and Ben felt alone once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope that you stick around for the journey! <3
> 
> This was a much longer chapter, which I feel will be pretty common from here on out haha.  
> I am also pretty excited, I have managed to sit down to read through my chapters to edit it and touch it up before I post a bit more, so hopefully, the mistakes won't be as much, but due to not having an actual beta reader, I might still miss some on occasion.
> 
> A huge thank you to Whitski, who had helped me update the summary a bit so that it wasn't so complicated! Thank you for your suggestion, it was very kind! :D <3
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and please leave a comment down below telling me what you think!  
> See you all next week, stay safe! <3


	5. Chapter 4. Rey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey is more feral, hence the cage. Plutt knows this, hence the reason he always lets his croons take the nasty hits so that he doesn't have to.  
> Finn is also a true pal and needs to be loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!  
> Thank you all for tuning in!  
> I just wanted to say welcome back and I hope you continue to enjoy! :)
> 
> POSSIBLE TRIGGER WARNING:  
> \- Unwanted, creepy touching  
> \- Threat of selling as a Sex Slave/Sexual innuendos
> 
> Please read the tags - I am adding tags as we go and I really don't want someone to get hurt!  
> I have added a few new tags to incorporate any possible triggers, these are umbrella tags though nothing explicit will happen.  
> 

The aggressive sound of metal hitting metal was what startled Rey out of her dreams, causing her to scramble out of her bed, practically tripping over herself while her heart pounded in beat with the repeated strikes. Her wings flared a bit, stopping from going too far due to the chains, in response to this rude awakening as she tried to reorientate herself to her surroundings.

Luckily, the metallic ringing stopped, most likely in response to the noise of her stumbling having reached the person causing the noise. With the ringing fading from her ears, she could just barely catch the snickers from some men. ‘Plutt’s goons’, she corrected herself, she wouldn’t exactly call them men, they were generally far too sleazy to call them that. 

“Come on out girl, I don’t have all morning!” Yelled the deep, gruff voice of Unkar Plutt himself. Hearing the man’s voice caused Rey to scowl, but knowing the consequences to come if she lingered any longer in her little den caused her to sweep aside the curtain and step out into the cage, not bothering to hide her annoyance, nor her disdain as she looked at the blubbery figure of Plutt and his four lackeys that stood at his back, each and everyone of them just as poor in looks as Plutt himself. 

“Ah, there is the pretty girl, finally coming out.” One of the said men stated, Dryden, if she remembered correctly; causing the other men to burst into laughter, She bit back the impulse to snap at the man, as well as the disgusted shiver that threatened to roll down her spine as Dryden gave her figure a slow once over, his eyes gleaming as he looked her up and down. The men were standing at a fair distance away from the bars of her cage, just out of range from her reach if she were to go on the attack. They had learned fairly quickly what it could intel if she got her hands on them, many of them have suffered her talon-like nails, broken noses, and lost teeth from when she had been able to slam their faces into the bars a few times before someone was able to bring out the electric prod and zapped her with it.

She felt a punch to her gut when she caught sight of the familiar staff that was clenched in Plutt’s grimy hands, the mismatching pieces that she found on a scavenging trip and having put together, was something that she had truly cherished. Her quarterstaff. It was the staff that she had used to defend herself on many occasions, as well as used it as a tool during her scavenging. Seeing it in Plutt’s ballooned hands made anger swell within her, her lips twitching with the need to snarl; and noticing the smirk on Plutt’s face told her that he was only doing this to taunt her and rile her up, only causing her to swallow back the anger. 

“Is there something you needed, Plutt?” She asked, having come to a stop in the center of the cage, not daring to get any closer as she was trained to. Despite her burning anger, her voice was calm, the feathers along her ears pricked her skin as she struggled to keep it that way.

Plutt snorted at her lack of response, realizing that Rey wasn’t going take the bait like she usually would and gestured for Dryden and Alex to move towards the cage; Rey felt a small sense of twisted glee to see them hesitate for a brief moment before she refocused on Plutt, missing only a small bit of his response.

“-you better behave yourself, you hear me girl? We have some “important”,” he spat the word out mockingly, “guests coming to visit Niima today, and I figured we ought to give them a show, so you better practice good and hard you hear me?” Plutt paused only briefly to allow Rey a nod in response, seeing if she was following along or not before he continued. This time, while he spoke, Rey kept a wary eye on Dryden and Alex as they entered her cage, making sure to close to the door behind them so she couldn’t try to make her escape; not that she would dumb enough to try with her tag still being active. 

“It’s a bit early, but we need to do the weekly maintenance on your tag. I don’t trust the guests to not attempt to steal you away,” Plutt looked her up and down with a slimy grin, something not uncommon but something that made a shiver of disgust roll down Rey’s spine nonetheless. “And I can’t just let my main showgirl go, don’t you agree?”

Rey swallowed back her response and remained still as Dryden and Alex came up to her, she noted how Plutt, despite his seemingly harmless posture, had tightened his grip on her old quarterstaff, while his other two lackey’s, Greedo and Selbula, held onto electric rods. Rey kept looking ahead, not showing an ounce of unease or fear that she could feel rolling in her gut. ‘Can’t show weakness’ she reminded herself.

The tent was filled with tense silence, one that had everyone on edge, their muscles tense to react at any aggressive movements. ‘They’ve definitely learned after the first couple of beatings.’ Rey thought to herself, ignoring the two sets of hands that began to push and pull at the chains piercing her wings. She ground her teeth in order to stop herself from flinching at the twinges of pain; reigning herself in to keep from snapping at the two men when they tugged a bit too harshly.

She was so focused on pleading that they finish and get out of her space repeatedly in her head that she almost missed when Dryden began to stroke along her wings, his hand soon settling on her shoulder blades as he stood behind her. She didn’t hear as Alex called out to Plutt that the tags were still active and in good condition, only focusing on how her heart began to beat faster the more she felt Dryden’s hand start to slip lower down her back. She heard the ragged breathing and the warm puffs of breath on the back of her neck from how close the man was standing.

‘He’s high’ she realized as she caught the foul stench of alcohol that lingered on Dryden’s breath, along with the tingling bits of spice that just barely hid the smell of rot that made her want to gag. Rey’s ear feathers were now puffed out fully, quivering as a sign to make Dryden step back, and she felt the bones in her hands grind from how tightly she was squeezing her hand, her talons prickling her palms in a way that she has no doubt would draw blood if she dug just a bit harder.

Dryden’s hand stopped just a bit past her lower back as he leaned in a little closer, the occupants in the tent even more tensed as he took a deep breath just behind her ear. He broke the silence when he called out to Plutt, “Hey boss, how about we make the pretty songbird,” he hand slid around slowly to the front, resting just below her stomach before he finished in a suggestive droll, “sing?”

Rey flung into action at this, her anger exploding as she let out a piercing screech. She flung her wings back, beating them as much as she could with the chains and tossing Dryden off of balance due to the surprise. The sand along the floor began to kick up into the air, getting into his mouth and eyes. Alex stumbled back, taken off guard, before he rushed to try to tackle Rey to the ground but was easily thrown back when she swung towards him, her fist catching him just under his jaw, an audible clack could be heard from his mouth snapping closed. 

She could hear Plutt and the two shout at her to stand down, the jingling from them trying to get the door to her cage opened just barely audible amongst the noise but she ignored them as she whirled on her target, Dryden Vos, the vile man that had dared touch her in that way.

The man who had managed to get back onto his feet spitting out some grit that got into his mouth. When she made eye contact with the man, her talons arched as her feathers puffed up to intimidate, she began to stalk forward, enjoying the glint of fear in the man’s eyes as they widened. With each step he took back, she glided forward, her snarls could just be heard over the three that were still stumbling in their hurry to get the door opened, Alex still moaning from the pain in his jaw that would surely swell and bruise.

With another screech that sounded more feral than anything, she lunged forward, her wings attempting to stretch out in full but only opening until the chain was pulled taunt; she slashed her hands down, her talons catching Dryden’s face as the man fell back, tripping over his own two feet. By then, the door was thrown open with a clang and something bashed into the back of Rey’s head, causing her to stumble away when her vision was filled with spots. 

The damage had already been done though, her talons had torn open long slits into Dryden's face, deep enough to scar and bleeding heavily. Alex ran to his side, his lip split from her punch and a little scratched up on his arm from where the sand had scraped him. 

Rey shook her head and tried to fling herself at Dryden to finish the man off but yelped when a sharp shock stung her in her left thigh, followed by another one that caught her in her side. The zaps are powerful enough to be heard and left aftershocks to spazzing in her muscles. These two shocks were ended with another smack of her quarterstaff to her gut. Causing her to break out of her red haze as she was forced onto the floor of the cage, pinned down by Greedo and Selbulba while Plutt gripped her hand and yanked her head back, causing her to cry out in pain which earned her a sharp slap to her cheek, not hard enough to bruise but still enough to cause her to whimper as tears formed in her eyes from Plutt’s strong grip on her hair. 

“What did I tell you, girl?” The man spat, not caring why she had lashed out, “I’ve almost had it with your attitude, you earn me good money as a performer but you try that again and I won’t hesitate in just clipping your wings and throwing you into a pleasure tent or just selling you to a skin trader. I own you, don’t you forget that.” He aggressively pushed Rey’s head out of his grip to accent his threat before he lumbered out of the cage, Greedo and Selbulba close behind him as they left Rey laying on the ground, her head and gut pounding from the hits she had taken while the two spots that were zapped dully burned. 

She squeezed her eyes closed as she felt a wave of helplessness filled her, her ears filling with the gate slamming shut and becoming locked once more and she barely caught Plutt shouting over his shoulder. 

“Get up and get practicing, you still have to perform for our guests tonight!”

Rey didn’t know just how long that she allowed herself to lay on the sandy flooring of her unforgiving cage, letting tears leak a bit out her eyes as her body turned into a dull pulsing. She became lost to the bitter taste of loneliness and the helpfulness as she continued to berate herself for not just leaving Jakku while she had the chance.  
‘I should have just left, I should have just abandoned my hope in my parent’s return as they had done to me.’ She darkly told herself, her heart aching in time with her body at the feeling of realization that she was only ever going to be unwanted and unloved. Alone.

“Oh Peanut, what did they do?” Finn’s soft voice broke through the despair that was bearing down on her. His voice was filled with a sad pity that made Rey bristle, not wanting pity. But she swallowed it back as she pushed herself up onto her feet, only grunting a bit with the effort now that all fight had been drained out of her. When she turned to look at Finn, she was a bit caught off guard to see him already inside her cage and standing close, not having him come in.

Rey shook her head and looked away from the pity she saw in his eyes.  
“It’s nothing, I deserved it for lashing out.” This caused Finn to inhale sharply and when her friend spoke, his voice was stern.

“Don’t say that Rey, you don’t deserve any of this.” Rey just snorted at this and refused to look her friend in his eyes, a retort lingering in her throat, bristling at the tone of his voice. ‘I don’t need your pity.’ she almost lashed out but chose to remain silent instead. A few seconds ticked by before Finn sided and Rey could tell that the man had decided to set aside the lecture for now when she made it clear she didn’t want to hear it.  
“Alright, well, I was instructed by Plutt to bring these boxes for you.”

Rey finally turned to look back at her only friend, her eyes quickly noticing two boxes that he had mentioned and she looked up in the eyes, raising her brow in question that caused Finn to snort and mutter something about stubbornness before he said louder.

“One of them is the outfit that Plutt wanted you to wear for the performance tonight. The other is a bunch of things that Plutt instructed you to fix when you aren’t performing or practicing.” 

Rey hummed softly as she briefly dug through that box, seeing a few pieces that were most likely from the finds of the scavengers. That was something she enjoyed- fixing things as a mechanic whenever she didn’t dance. ‘Guess I should at least be happy I still have that.’ she thought to herself before stepping aside, letting Finn push past her to deposit the two boxes in her den before he returned to her, opting to just ignore her silence for now as he filled it with chatter as he guided her to sit, working on combing through her wings to pluck out any that may have broken during her scuffle with Plutt and his men.

“I heard more chatter from the underground networks this morning. News from other villages are stating that more and more Seraphim are being sold, and a few have even just been reportedly going missing. Makes me wonder if they escaped somehow.” Finn paused, hoping that Rey would say something, but he sighed when she remained silent, clearly still not wanting to talk. “Anyways, there has also been some mentions that apparently King Snoke and Advisor Pryde have been traveling throughout the Kingdom looking at Seraphim, but I honestly don’t know if that should be believed or not, after all, they never really expressed much interest in the Seraphim before, it was always the head of staff that bought the Seraphim you see and-” 

Rey tuned Finn out as she let her mind drift, not fully interested in hearing about his hopes at the moment, not when they did nothing but fill you with a false sense of comfort. She also didn’t want to hear about his time at the King’s castle. She already knew the story, after all, having gotten it from Finn years ago after he had first arrived.  
Finn had been part of the castle staff, mainly as a maid to clean up the castle and keep things tidy, but he was also trained as a guard that could be used to protect the King and his Advisor’s if it was ever called for it. Nothing that could be used against them, just enough to make him battle fodder. He always stated that it wasn’t as cruel as here in the desert of Jakku, but it was still lifeless and quickly sucked the hope out of you until you felt like the world around you was gray. Being in the center of Mankind, you were surrounded by the Higher Society that would randomly spit on you for just breathing in their direction.

She knew that Finn eventually grew sick of it and had planned everything out carefully before he was able to make his quick escape into the night, having practiced flying every second he got to strengthen his wings once he learned that his tag was buggy in the wiring, stating it was active, yet he could easily slip it off without getting a shock. He had tried to fly to Alderaan, but he wound up getting lost and crashed into Jakku instead. Rey remembered the night Finn had ended up in Plutt’s hands, easily captured due to his exhaustion. She also remembered what it was like for him to be pinned to the ground as they sliced off his wings, the memory of him writhing in pain and feeling the air with the screams would forever be burned in her mind as she had witnessed it that night, having happened only a few feet away from her cage. 

Finn must have caught on to the fact that Rey was lost in her own mind and not hearing a single thing he said because he stood, stating an excuse as he made his way towards the exit, his words not registering Rey’s mind. She did catch the muddled goodbye that was tainted with worry, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. Instead, she continued to feel like she was being tossed back and forth, her body weightless and floundering to find something solid to hold on to.

She began to go through the motions of stretching her limbs and body in an attempt to warm up for her practice while she struggled to focus, her mind continuing to float like she was untethered.  
Despite this feeling of disconnection though, Rey could feel the smallest of warmth settling in her heart, a sensation that she latched onto to bring herself back into focus as it was familiar and comforting. And as she continued to hold onto the warm feeling in her heart, she could have sworn that it was getting stronger, and at the deep edges of her mind, there was a presence that she felt like she had always known, growing closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope that you stick around for the journey! <3
> 
> I felt like I should give a fair warning that this story can have its moments of some pretty heavy stuff- but I'm trying to make sure to keep it balanced as I don't want to go too heavy. That being said, I will also note that nothing sexually explicit (Non-con or otherwise) is set to actually happen in this story. I don't have any experience in writing it and I honestly am not comfortable in writing such scenes. But there will be a few hints at it, and moments such as this one where things can start to dip in that direction a bit. 
> 
> Anyways, sorry for the heavy topic, I just wanted to make sure that we were all on the same page!  
> How is everyone doing? I hope anyone that has celebrated any recent holidays had a good one, I know I did. I got to see some family again and it was very much needed because work got super crazy. My best friend has also given me her old iPad and I can't wait to use it because I have lots of projects in mind!
> 
> Also, I know have a [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/snowlakelynx), so feel free to come to chat with me there. I will most likely start posting some lore and worldbuilding stuff about this universe if that interests any of you.  
> I am not the best at social media posting and stuff, but I want to give it a try! 
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and please leave a comment down below telling me what you think!  
> See you all next week, stay safe! <3


	6. Chapter 5. Ben

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which:  
> Ben still hates the sand, much like his Grandfather did  
> Finds himself a new enemy  
> Learns that the world is much crueler than he thought  
> And makes a discovery that takes his breath away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!  
> Thank you all for tuning in!  
> I just wanted to say welcome back and I hope you continue to enjoy! :)

The time to leave Tuanul came before the sun rose the next morning. The crew had slept on the bunks in the Falcon and had exited to eat and mingle with the people of Tuanul once more long before the sun rose. Han and Chewie had discussed over breakfast about their next move, a food that Ben didn’t really know the origins from, and due to the less than stellar smell it had given off, he didn’t exactly want to know as just the possibilities made his stomach roll in protest. 

Chewie had suggested that they just simply fly to Niima Outpost, leaving the Falcon in Tuanul, since the track record of Niima was pretty consistent in not usually releasing any Seraphim to their freedom and the chance of actually needing the ship to transport freed Seraphim was practically nonexistent. Ben was only partially listening to this discussion but still found it rather intriguing to think that Jakku could be so vastly different between the two outposts, with Tuanul not even enslaving Seraphim and Niima not letting any of their Seraphim go. 

In the end, it was decided that it would be best to fly the Falcon, after all, no one liked the thought of having to fly in the unbearable heat once the sun rose, as well as the fact that would be safer to have the Falcon; this came with a comment of ‘Can never trust Plutt in those regards as he doesn't give a Bantha’s rear’. Ben had also voiced his thought of there always being a chance of a Seraphim being released, no matter how slim. That only caused both Chewie and Han to grumble, which Ben found amusing. 

Soon after that, they had helped the released Seraphim onto the Falcon, stating their goodbyes to the hospitable citizens of Tuanul, and began their flight to Niima.  
With the halls of the Falcon now being slightly more crowded than Ben likes to deal with, he chose to stay in the cockpit with his father and uncle, where no one else ever entered.

The cockpit was mainly silently during the entirety of the trip, the only conversation was the usual banter that happened between Han and Chewie, but both of the men seemed to sense that Ben needed some silence since they didn’t try to include him; not that Ben would have noticed anyway, he was too focused on watching the endless dunes of sand fly below them. He was honestly a little taken back, sure he read a lot of books and studied an endless amount of maps, but seeing just how vast the desert of Jakku was - how far apart the two outposts were - tweaked his interest.

‘You can only learn so much about something before you need to experience it yourself.’ he told himself.

The sun climbed ever higher into the sky as they drew closer to their destination, they had left Tuanul just as the sun had started to rise, and if Ben did his math right, they would be landing in Jakku during the afternoon.

‘The hottest point of the day...joy.’ he snarled at himself, he couldn’t stand the heat, not when his black feathers did nothing but attract the sunlight and make him sweat. He briefly thought about what he should expect at Niima Outpost based on the tales he heard in passing when the hair on the back of his neck stood up, the feathers behind his ears stiffening and quivering ever so slightly as he felt a shiver go down his spine, his ears buzzing faintly.

Ben absentmindedly rubbed his chest as the buzzing moved into his chest, filling the pit of his stomach with a warmth that caused his heart to jump. There was a pull in his gut, and he recognized the call once more, this time though, it almost felt like the Force was singing, urging him onwards.  
What had Lor San Tekka called it? The Call of R’iia? 

‘I’m coming. I’m almost there.’ Ben thought to himself, the feeling grew into a hope, filling him with a balance that he hadn’t realized he was yearning. And though he didn’t know who he was saying it to, he knew that the call was guiding him to Niima Outpost. 

Whatever he would discover in Niima, Ben knew would set him on an unchangeable course.

♦♢❖♢♦

When the Falcon arrived in Niima, Ben had been pleased to see he was correct with his calculations, seeing as how the Sun was a little past its highest point when they touched down. His apprehension was only distantly acknowledged as he looked out the window at the tattered canvas of booths and tents alike, instead, he could only focus on how the buzzing of the Force had quieted down the moment they had felt the jolt of the landing gears upon the sand. The hopeful feeling had swelled into a quiet thought of encouragement like he was being beckoned to seek out the light that was the Call of R’iia. 

He could only reel himself in enough to keep his face passive and his step steady as he followed his Father down the ramp and into the sun as not to look too excited or like he was seeking anything. He didn’t understand what he was feeling, and he knew for sure that Han wouldn’t as well, if anything it would only cause his Father to sternly tell him to stay in the Falcon because he was concerned about what his son might do.

Stepping out into the sweltering heat, sweat quickly soaking the back of his neck, Ben immediately felt his guard go up as he took in the vast difference between Niima and Tuanul once more. To start off, Ben noted that there was next to no kind of shade to protect the inhabitants from the harsh sunlight. The only kind of shade being that from the tents and booths that were set up rather haphazardly. Despite their arrival, and just how recognizable Ben knew the Falcon to be, it did not stop any of the civilians to stop in their actions, in fact, they were greatly ignored; being treated like they were invisible. 

His ears were assaulted with the shouting of Human merchants about their wears, along with the bellowing of some kind of creature that was out of sight, and he could have sworn that he heard some women calling out in a sickly sweet tone like they were trying to beg people to follow after them. 

He wrinkled his nose a bit at the sounds of greedy, yet truly desperate Humans that he knew were just trying to survive in this brutal environment. He also didn’t like the Force becoming thick with a miasma that caused him to choke a little.

The deeper into Niima that their group, the more that Ben grew on edge, his muscles tensing while his wings and feathers behind his ear shifted. And he could tell that the rest of Seraphim in the crew thought the same thing if the clenching of fists were anything to go by.

The warm feeling that had filled him was forgotten as Ben felt his heart sink, his eyes taking in the depressing sight around him. ‘No one could do this place justice.’ he thought to himself as he noted how the life here in Niima was far worse than what he heard in passing. All around him were Humans that kept eyeing them up and down with a hostility that made Ben feel like they were sizing them up to jump them, whether it be to harm them or wrangle anything they could get their hands on from them to be later sold to unsuspecting travelers, he couldn’t really tell, but it still made him tuck his wings in a little tighter, not trusting any of them to not attempt to yank a few of his feathers. 

The worst part of Niima though was the number of Seraphim that Ben spotted, a vast majority of them having been clipped. Ben knew he would be haunted by the dim look in their eyes, for their eyes had no light to them. He realized that they were all broken, slightly slumped like the will to carry on was hanging by a single thread. He watched with an aching heart as many of them dragged nets of scrap, all of them painfully thin as he counted their ribs. 

“Ah! If it’s our guests of honor!” A deep voice rang out, cutting through the noise effortlessly and Ben noticed a few of the Seraphim flinch away like they were expecting violence. Despite being called a ‘guest of honor’, Ben could sense the mocking sneer that was in the man’s voice.

The sight of the man coming into view did nothing but cause Ben to feel a flash of dislike and disgust as he looked over the newcomer. The man was plump, his heavy steps reminding Ben of the waddling of ducks on the lakeside while his skin had many folds that jiggle a bit. 

‘He looked more like an ugly fish than a human if he was being honest.’ Ben thought to himself.

“Unkar Plutt,” Han called out, his voice stern and not bothering to hide the obvious displeasure that his Father felt for the Lord of Niima. This only caused Plutt to shake a meaty finger at them, a glint in his eye that Ben had no doubt was due to the sleazeball thinking of ways to shake some money off of them as the man spoke, his voice making his fist clench and the desire to punch the man’s teeth in ran through him.

“It’s about time you showed up. Don’t you know by now that I have a business to attend to and that I don’t have time to wait around for your kind of show themselves? Here I thought you must have changed your mind and bail. A bit rude, eh?”

Han just snorted and shot Ben a look as if to ask, ‘Can you believe this guy?’ but he just shook his head and shot Plutt a roguish smile and gave a shrug, his tone clearly trying to treat the man like they were just old friends that always passive-aggressively threw insults at each other like they were jokes.

“What can I say, knew that you enjoy sitting around in your shop while those you command prepared everything else only for you take the credit."

Plutt let out a sputter at Han's barb but then scowled and grumbled under his breath before he looked around at the crowd about them, his scowl deepening and he shouted a stern. "Get back to work! There is nothing to see here and there are no breaks if you want your fair share of portions!" That threat got those around them to stop their staring, scrambling to continue with what they had been doing but Plutt went back to ignoring them as he jerked his hand for them to follow. "Figured since there are some new faces amongst the crowd, we might as well give you a tour of the rightful outpost here in Jakku."

Ben rolled his eyes at hearing that, 'What a pompous ass.' He thought as he followed after Plutt. Only partially paying attention as he looked around their setting. The pace that Plutt set was slow, and despite the breeze that was blowing up sand into his nose and eyes on occasion, it did nothing to give him relief from the sun. The shade helped a bit but did nothing to slow the sweat beading his forehead and rolling down his neck. ‘I swear he’s doing this pace on purpose.’ Ben thought bitterly to himself.

They were shown the small bazaar that hosted a very limited amount of shopkeepers, each of them showing off wares that looked to be either forged together from scraps or must have been stolen off some poor soul for looking as nice as they did. As they walked, Plutt of course talking, the man most likely liking the sound of his own voice.  
"As you can see, the wares here are one of a kind and worth a good handful of credits."

The way Plutt says it made Ben believe that he was only talking up the shops because he got a large cut, if not all, of the sales. From the Bazaar, they passed a series of tents that Plutt only mentioned as the 'pleasure tents' making Ben frown at the thought of the activities that would go within. He knew that slavery wasn't banned amongst Mankind, at least the slavery of Seraphim, but one would think to abolish that kind of treatment in the very least.

They rounded a small plaza in which Ben caught sight of a large Sandborer that was drinking from a well of putrid water that Ben could smell on the warm breeze. But what really caught his mind was a small group of Seraphim that were dressed in opaque veils and small coins of bronze, each one of them showing off their midriff as they danced about to the sound of a flute and a small drum. Only one of the three Seraphim still had their wings.

"As you can see, we have plenty of entertainment available for our guests but you get a real treat," Plutt stated, making Ben's eyes break from the Seraphim to focus on the large tent that Plutt began to gesture to. "You get a nice show of Niima's top traditional dance from our prized songbird. The best performer you'll ever find here in Jakku."

The tent was larger than the others, and Ben noted the two men that seemed to be guarding the entrance. Looking at the tent caused the buzzing to intense briefly, as they continued to make their way past the tent, the world around him grew muffled as the call grew from a quiet voice to a full out battle cry. He was so focused in the tent that he didn't notice the glances of his Knights or his Father were shooting him.

The flaps to the entrance weren’t fully drawn closed, giving him the ability to peek inside as they passed along, their pace still slow. Inside he caught the sight of rusty and deteriorated benches that curved in a gentle arch on one side of the tent. His eyes quickly moved away from the bench and landed on the lone figure that was moving about in the center of the cage.

The world went completely silent, time slowing down around him, leaving only the figure and him to move as usual as the familiar, comforting, warmth that he had been seeking burst through him.  
In the center of the cage, gracefully moving, was the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen. Her brown hair was up in three odd buns and her skin was tanned from living in the desert and sun. She hadn’t seemed to notice them, and she was facing away from them as she stretched her arms high above her, moving them slowly to music that he couldn’t hear.

His eyes softened in wonder as he took in the stunning design of her wings. They were orange with the tips fading into white, black streaks along the span of them. He hadn’t realized that he had stopped breathing, holding in his breath in fear that he might startle the stunning Seraphim but also wanting nothing more for her to turn and notice him. He took a deep, shaking breath and was suddenly overwhelmed with the need to get closer to her, feeling a tug in his gut like the Force was trying to get him to reach out to her.

Just as he went to take a step in the direction of the dancing woman, he was startled out of his entrancement by his Father’s hand landing on his shoulder. And just like that, the world returned to normal, the sound rushing back to assault his ears once more as he caught the tail end of what Plutt was saying, “-don’t spoil your surprise now boy. Come sundown you’ll get to see the treasure in that tent.”  
Though he didn’t look at the man as he watched in dismay as the two men guarding the tent tugged on a rope to draw the flap fully closed. Horror replaced his wonder though when he finally registered the gleaming of the bars that surrounded her. A cage. The need to rush to the woman filled him, along with the surge of rage that caused him to clench his fists, but the tightening of his Father’s grip caused him to take a deep breath and look away from the tent, having to fight back the urge to shrug off his hand and storm at the cage.

Plutt continued to lead them away, simply stating that a feast had been prepared for them, the sound of the voice sounding even more fake with his hospitality than he had noticed earlier. He led them into another large canvas tent where scrappy looking pillows surrounded the questionable-looking table. The food here in Niima was nothing like Tuanul had though, as it looked like it was mostly made up of portions of questionable eatability.

‘Is that what they eat here? Is that what she eats?’ He wondered, another wave of anger and sadness rolling through him as he recalled just how skinny the Seraphim were here, so many of them looking gaunt and bony. Along the other wall, standing neatly in a straight line were about four Seraphim, their hands were clasped and their heads bowed, looking only at the ground; None of them having wings.  
As they settled onto the cushions around the table, with Plutt settling at the very end, Ben made eye contact with Vicrul, who looked unaffected to the untrained eye but to Ben, he knew that his friend was deeply unsettled by the sights he had seen today, just as he was. There was also a look of a question in his eyes, silently asking him about earlier that he gently shook his head about, just enough to go unnoticed. That only caused her to look sternly at him but seemed to drop it as he looked at Kuruk, most likely holding a conversation through the Force like usual.

Ben turned his attention back to his Father and Plutt, who must have been talking negotiations, as the man snapped his fingers a couple of times, making the Clipped Seraphim begin to move around them and Ben swallowed harshly, shifting uncomfortably as he realized that they were serving them. After all, in Alderaan, there was no such thing as slaves, nor servants really. As a Seraphim with dark skin placed a small mug of water in front of him, Ben muttered a soft word of thanks to the man, causing him to make eye contact with him in surprise before he quickly glanced away, but Ben could still feel the subtle nudge from the Force, a nudge that was filled with a tiny amount of gratitude.  
‘Ah, so you are Force-sensitive as well.’ He thought to himself. 

“-And just about how many are you talking about being set free?” Han asked, catching Ben’s attention once more, and he looked at Plutt who was stuffing his face as he waved a meaty hand about like he was attempting to brush the words away in dismissal.  
“None of that talk now, eh? We can always...negotiate on these terms later. Why don’t you just dig in? Eat! Drink! Be merry! And at sundown, you’ll be treated to a show of excellence. Then we can talk about deals.”

The way Plutt talked so flippantly about the freedom of the Seraphim kind, of his people, caused Ben to fill with rage once more, the darkness creeping down his spine as he felt the voice whisper, “You should just get rid of him, none of Mankind would miss such a greedy man for sure. It’s only taking out another human that has proven they don’t deserve to live.”  
And for a horrifying moment, Ben was tempted. He realized that he would be far too easy to jump at the man, moving before anyone could react, to plunge his talons into the man’s blubbery neck and watch in satisfaction as the light left his beady eyes. He was quick to push these thoughts down, withdrawing himself from the inky darkness that had swelled within his heart, and he drowned out the talk as he went deep into his mind, following the thread to the familiar warmth that he now recognized as being the woman in the cage.  
He brushed gently against her mind, seeking comfort from the presence as he let his thoughts wander back to the memory of her.  
‘She must be the performer for tonight.’ He realized, and the thought alone filled him with nervous anticipation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope that you stick around for the journey! <3
> 
> I will be honest with you, I was a little upset that I almost didn't get this uploaded in time with my set schedule because I have been trying to work over an issue all day that I finally had to talk over with my sister to clear up my head enough to edit and post this. That being said, I apologize if this chapter seems to have a few more errors than usual. I have been having a hard time focusing on certain things as this year is coming to a close. But, I am so proud that I was able to upload on time still, so I really hope you enjoyed it! :D
> 
> And Ben being besotted for the feral desert child is my ultimate love. It is one of my absolute favorite tropes.  
> But hey, Ben has finally seen Rey, which means that the Reylo bit that I am sure all of you have been waiting for is finally upon us!
> 
> Come follow me on my [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/snowlakelynx)if you want to chat with me there! I am also working on some fun worldbuilding stuff/lore about this universe if anyone is interested, feel free to ask me questions for me to answer! I am also working on a few projects that I am very excited to show very soon!
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and please leave a comment down below telling me what you think!  
> See you all next week, stay safe! <3


	7. Chapter 6. Rey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The performance of Rey, who also makes a discovery of importance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!  
> Thank you all for tuning in!  
> I just wanted to say welcome back and I hope you continue to enjoy! :)

Rey finished fastening the collar around her neck, readjusting the bands around her arms as she listened to people enter into her tent. Plutt, of course, was spouting off whatever embellished nonsense he always did. His words were something that was both rehearsed and repeated to every new guest, seeing as only the “loyal” patrons ever got more personalized welcomes, having earned Plutt’s respect by the number of credits they paid frequently. 

After Rey was happy with how her outfit was sitting, she made her way quietly to stand beside the curtain, shifting her weight carefully on the balls of her feet to make her steps completely soundless, as to not appear like she only has this small box to stay in outside of performances.

‘The time has come.’ Rey told herself as she took calming, deep breaths beside the only barrier that was currently separating her from Plutt and their esteemed “special” guests; her eyes staring at the endless tallies on the wall beside her. It wasn’t that she was nervous, she knew the dance that she was set to perform tonight like the back of her hand; No, she was currently taking these calming breaths as part of a routine. Before every performance that she is forced to go through at the command of Plutt, she would take the ticking minutes before her signal to calm her mind, burying herself deep into thought so she can disconnect from the event of what is about to happen. 

‘It’s rather amazing that I don’t actually have to be mentally present to perform anymore.’ She tartly admitted, listening to Plutt continue to ramble about whatever theatrics he was now trying to sell. The sun would have already started to set, seeing as how the tent had darkened and the air felt cooler, which meant that Plutt was just trying to drag out the moment to make the show seem more worth whatever price he decided to charge today. All her performances were after darkness has fallen over Jakku, he liked his dramatics after all. This way, he could always include spotlights that would concentrate on her cage as the lighting of her performance. 

Rey was jerked out of her thoughts as the tent got plunged into complete darkness. Which was her signal to get moving. After finishing in shutting out the rest of the world, Rey began to move on instinct, her footsteps still light and soundless. She didn’t hesitate to sweep out from behind her curtain, not having long to get into place before the music and lights would start up again, she quickly made her way into the middle of the cage, counting her steps until she reached what she knew would be the center of her cage.

Once she reached the middle, she sat down with her legs loosely bent and leaned forward until her upper half was laying on the sandy ground, her forehead just a hair above the ground; her wings remained tightly closed in order to keep the underside from being side. Letting her eyes slide closed, she took a quiet deep breath and waited for the lights to be turned on. She didn’t have to wait long.  
Rey could not only hear the spotlight’s being turned on, but the darkness behind her eyelids suddenly brightened, becoming a muted gray. She remained still as the musicians started up their music. After a couple of seconds, Rey began to sing a few soft notes as she lifted herself up slowly until she was sitting up straight, her eyes still closed.

At a sharp beat of the drum, she lifted her arms up in an arch until they met above her head, and with another drum beat, she swiftly brought them back down, following the same arch. At this point, she slowly opened her eyes but she made sure to only focus on the base of the bars. She didn’t dare raise her eyes anymore to look at the crowd that was watching her. Rey wasn’t in any mood to see a bunch of Humans that either looked on unimpressed or with a disturbing look in their eyes, one that spoke of thoughts to try to barter for something more with Plutt all the while they salivated.  
“Ade made tu e ma,” She continued to sing, leaning her body to the right as she raised her left arm upwards, still following the signals of the drumbeats as she leaned her body to the right when bringing her left arm down before she repeated these moves but with the other arm. All this time, she kept her wings tightly closed but straight behind her, making sure to keep as out of view as she could. 

As she continued to go through the motions of the familiar dance and song, Rey allowed her mind to wander. She concentrated on the warmth that seemed to be pressed up against her and in extremely close proximity like it was originating from something near her. It was a presence that is familiar to her, something that she has felt in nothing more than fleeting moments throughout the years but had recently become very strong and more noticeable, especially as the day went on. At one point during her practice, she had thought she felt something brush across her mind, and a force gently tugs at her thoughts. And though she had wanted to pause to seek it out, she had ignored it as best as she could to avoid getting a sharp prodding with the electric rod from one of the elders that watched her practice.

Before she had been forced into this cage, she had known nothing about the art of dancing, much less singing. But she had quickly learned how to be efficient at both from the same elders that watched her practice in order to berate her form with any chance they got. If she made a mistake on a step or didn’t move gracefully enough to their standards, or even if she didn’t have the proper form according to their expectations, they would jab her with an electric rod through the bars. With that kind of torture as a form of teaching, Rey could do nothing more than pick things up quickly in order to avoid the pain.

As the music suddenly picked up, Rey stopped singing. Having ended up on the one side of her cage, she whirled around and took some quick steps back towards the middle, giving a graceful little leap before she twirled and leaned forward to touch her fingertips to the ground, kicking one leg up in a standing split. She tilted back to rightened herself so that her back was towards the crowd.  
The drumbeats became more dramatic as she extended her wings out as far as they could, lifting them like she would have to take flight but instead of bringing them back down, she spun around once more to face the crowd before beating them down as she bowed slightly. Following another large drumbeat, Rey extended one wing out to the side, while the other wing extended upwards once more, her arms following the motions. At this point, Rey began to sing once more, though it was a fast-paced song this time.

Out of all the Seraphim in Jakku, Rey’s tags had always been a bit different when compared to the others. Whereas most would constrain their wings to the point majority of Seraphim couldn’t even open them, with the few that could only just allowing them to open just a small enough amount to show off the inside feathers; Rey’s has always allowed her to open her wings in a bit of a stretch, showing off a lot more of the inside of her wings, which were a pristine white with shimmery golden tips. This didn’t mean she could not open her wings up in a way that was completely comfortable, as trying to open them even more would only cause the tag to dig in deeper and cause intolerable pain. In other words, she wasn’t able to open them up fully, or even in a way that would allow her to fly due to this. This kind of tag was more typical for an entertainment Seraphim to have, as it allowed them to use their wings in a performance.

Rey came to a complete stop in the middle of the cage once more as the music ended, her wings opened as far as she could while arms were held above her head in a gentle arch and her head facing to the side, her breaths coming in a bit fast from the exertion. Torches were relit around the tent to give more light while the Spotlights were turned off, and Plutt gave a deep bellowing laugh in amusement as his goons clapped. Something that was to try to drag a positive reaction out of their guests, and something that usually worked. 

An odd sensation of awe and something else Rey couldn’t quite name brushed across her mind once more, causing her breath to catch a bit. This, along with the lack of the usual annoying clapping and degrading shouts, caused Rey to look up and towards their guests as she relaxed her stance. 

Immediately, Rey found her gaze locking with warm brown eyes that reminded her of embers from a dying fire. They belonged to a man with fluffy black locks that filled Rey with an urge to run her fingers through it. He was handsome in his own unique way, Rey found herself thinking. What puzzled her though, was the soft look in the man’s eyes. They looked at her with an awe that wasn’t degrading and instead made her feel precious. There were also a few other emotions sparkling in his eyes that Rey couldn’t decipher. 

As they continued to make eye contact with each other, the world around her became silent, not a single noise besides her heartbeat could be heard, She was tempted to look around to see if the others had just simply frozen, but she couldn’t find it in herself to look away. A gasp escaped her when she felt the familiar warmth roll through her once more, this time accompanied by what she could have sworn was a phantom brush against her cheek. A mixture of emotions moved through her, emotions that she didn’t believe as her own; there were far too many to properly identify. A shiver ran down her spine, causing her feathers to puff slightly and the hair on the back of her neck to stand as she heard a man’s voice whisper to her.  
“These are your first steps, Rey.”

Their silent bubble was popped though, the sound of the world around them rushing into her ears like they were being shot out of a blaster. The sudden noise makes Rey startle a bit and something just over the shoulder of the man caught her attention. ‘Wings, Seraphim.’ Rey realized and it was like a bucket of cold water was dumped over her as she realized that the special guests that had watched her perform tonight were Seraphim. ‘Free Seraphim.’ She bit out bitterly and a rush of anger filled her stomach, causing her to clench her teeth a bit, her fists clenching tightly at the thought that these Seraphim, the Prince and King with their envoy if she is not mistakenly remembering Finn’s ramblings, had just sat and watched her perform from inside a cage.

Deep down, she knew that they most likely didn’t specifically ask to watch her dance, knowing that Plutt most like planned this for his own sick entertainment, and despite the knowledge that they were making efforts to free the enslaved Seraphime people, Rey couldn’t help but feel a sense of betrayal towards the handsome Prince. Grinding her teeth a bit in order to prevent herself from lashing out to the Seraphim on the other side of the bars. She wanted nothing more than to yell at them. To them how they could stand to sit on the other side of those bars and just watch her, or how they could just simply stand by when they saw the pain and strife their people were going through. To demand why it was taking them so long in freeing them, and asking if they even regret agreeing to a treaty that they must have known would only cause pain for so long and devastation for so many. 

The image of Finn’s clipped wings only made the anger simmer within her even more. The reminder of her suffering friend caused Rey to give the Prince a cold look, one that she knew would have been filled with a flame of hatred. The corner of her lips twitched, threatening to turn into a snarl before she sharply turned away on her heels, stalking back to her den all the while feeling the gaze of the Prince burning into her back before she slipped behind the curtain.

Having finally gotten away from his soul-bearing gaze, Rey felt the anger in her extinguish and leave nothing but broken exhaustion that caused her to lean up against the wall, her eyes adjusting to the darkness of her little den. When she looked back up at the tallies lining the walls, she felt like they were drowning her, serving her thoughts of hopelessness and worthless dreaming.  
Rey’s mind wandered back to the Prince’s face with his soft gaze that had made her feel like a treasure to be held. She snarled at the thought that he would look at her in such a way, pushing back the image. ‘I won’t ever see him again after tonight, he doesn’t matter to me, and I need to just forget him. He’ll never help me.’ She chastised herself, trying to make herself believe that she hated the Prince or any of the Seraphim that paraded around like they were actually doing anything to free Seraphim. 

All the while she couldn’t help but rub her chest as her heart began to ache at the thought of hating the man that already seemed to hold her soul in a way that made her believe that she belonged with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope that you stick around for the journey! <3
> 
> Another chapter, yay! This one is the last chapter before the big stuff starts to happen, sorry it has taken some time to get here, but I wanted to make sure to actually build up the story a bit before getting into the action and fun stuff. So I hope you are all super excited!
> 
> With Ben having seen Rey last chapter, and this chapter having Rey see Ben in return, that can only mean one thing from here on out.  
> The thing that I am sure was the most anticipated stuff, Reylo moments! Yay! I of course won't give any spoilers but I am very excited for the chapters to come. 
> 
> I have also been working on some things to go along with this story, and despite my hopes to have them ready for tonight's update, they will have to be revealed with next week's update. I'm so excited to share them, but I don't want to give too much detail that it ruins the surprise haha.
> 
> [This Dance](https://youtu.be/kRfBfYodZZs) is what inspired bits and pieces of Rey's dance, while [This Song](https://youtu.be/aL8kZ-iVk90) is the one that I listened to while writing Rey singing. I've always imagined Rey dancing in a similar style to the Isis Wing Dance, but of course with her actual wings and not with fabric wings.
> 
> Come follow me on my [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/snowlakelynx) if you want to chat with me there! I am also working on some fun worldbuilding stuff/lore about this universe if anyone is interested, feel free to ask me questions for me to answer! I am also working on a few projects that I am very excited to show very soon!
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and please leave a comment down below telling me what you think!  
> See you all next week, stay safe! <3


	8. Chapter 7. Ben

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which, the moment we have all been waiting for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!  
> Thank you all for tuning in! Also, Important news in the end notes! 
> 
> I just wanted to say welcome back and I hope you continue to enjoy! :)

Ben’s heart sank as he watched the woman glare at him, her gaze making him want to flinch, and left him oddly feeling like he was a monster. That didn’t make him lose interest in her, though. Despite the small part of him whining about how she seemed to hate him, he couldn’t understand why, but he felt like he had to apologize immediately. Still, he could do nothing but watch as she disappeared behind some thick drapes.

‘Please, come back. Don’t go.’ Ben thought to himself as he felt a wave of loneliness and broken sorrow threaten to overwhelm him. He was pulled out of these thoughts and emotions, feeling like he just broke through a heavy fog when a hand settled on his shoulder, being heavy and comforting, and when he turned, he found that it was Han. 

Ben shook his head to clear the fog, scolding himself with a quick, ‘you’re here on a mission. You need to seriously get it together and stop zoning out’ before he forced his focus onto the conversation that was going on between Plutt and Han.

“There are a few Seraphim whose owners have decided to release, as per the peace treaty,” Plutt stated. Han twitched in surprise since he had full-on expected this trip to Niima to end empty-handed. However, Plutt didn’t notice as he scowled slightly, trying to appear in charge as he hastily added. “They won’t be gathered until the morning, though, so don’t expect us to just give them to you right this very second.”

His Father frowned slightly at that but then smirked and said. 

“I mean, it is pretty late, ain’t it? It’s only fair for us to wait and get some good night’s rest.”

Ben perked up at this, eager to see that at least some of their people were being freed. The image of the dancing Seraphim lingered in his mind; his heart torn in two by both rage and anguish of seeing the tags that pierced her breathtaking wings. Because that is what happened when she unfurled her wings to display the white with golden tips, he had taken in a sharp breath, as he was taken away with the lingering thought that her wings matched perfectly with his black and red ones. 

Though he was honestly shell shocked at the realization that he had just witnessed his Soulmate dancing in a cage, not including the fact that she was tagged and enslaved. Ben could feel every nerve in his body, demanding he free her, that he goes to her and sweep her into his arms to protect her; showering her with nothing but love and comfort like she deserves. So he drew in a breath and focused on Plutt, standing up a bit straighter as he began to push gently against the man’s thoughts, which was oddly surrounded by a dense fog. He opened his mouth to ask if Plutt would be letting go of his special entertainment Seraphim. 

He was unable to get a word out, though. His concentration on nudging the suggestion into Plutt’s mind was halted. His hold on the man slipped away as Han’s hand gripped his shoulder firmly to the point where it was almost painful. A clear indication to stop what he was doing and not go through with it.   
And though it stopped Ben from asking his question, it did not stop him from trying to nudge the thought of setting his Soulmate free into Plutt’s mind. But just as he did, he was surprised that just beyond the thick fog, he was met with a strong barrier that prevented him from using the Force on the sleaze’s mind. Prevented him from shoving the thought to let his Soulmate go.   
At this discovery, Ben looked back towards the cage, where he could only faintly make out the light of his Soulmate. When he brushed against her mind, a ball of ice settled in his stomach to discover that she was drowning in loneliness and sorrow. Ben glanced around at the people in the tent, and he realized that the humans haven’t seemed to notice his odd behavior. 

‘No surprise there.’ He sneered. Though the humans haven't realized Ben had fallen for the caged Seraphim, ‘Oh, how I wish I knew her name.’ he cried to himself. The Seraphim in his crew had caught the fact that something was odd with him, as they kept shooting him glances. All of them were curious and had varying degrees of concern.

None of them spoke up about his odd behavior. They bade Plutt and his men farewell, quickly making their way through the torch-lit streets back to the Falcon to sleep. Not that Ben felt exhausted, but he could see the wariness in the others as they quickly dodged their way through the stalls. All of them are still unnerved by the glinting gazes of the inhabitants of Niima.

They were lucky to go unbothered, so they made it back to the Falcon quickly. They worked quickly to get the Falcon’s ramps lowered, with Chewbacca, Vicrul, and Kuruk standing at attention. Their eyes swept their surroundings as they made their way up the ramp into the Falcon, the ramp closing securely behind them.   
The moment the doors closed them in, everyone seemed to let out a breath of relief, and Ben could just see the tension that had settled amongst them. Immediately the crew started to talk amongst themselves. They were also greeted by many of the seraphim that they had picked up in Tunual, coming over to get news and see how everything had gone.

Ben walked beside his Father in silence, just listening to the Seraphim around them chat. It wasn’t until they reached the main hold that Ben bid his Father goodnight as he made his way to the crew’s quarters. Planning on crawling into bed and using sleep as an excuse to be left alone with his thoughts, clearing the fog covering his mind these past couple of days.  
“Ben.” His Father’s voice called out, cutting through the fog once more, causing Ben to pause in his retreat to turn to him. Han had a severe look on his face; the roguish grin he usually bore was nowhere to be seen. In his eyes, a strange look that made Ben straighten up and turn around to face him, his eyebrow lifting slightly as he wondered what his Father wanted. Distantly, Ben recognized that the other Seraphim in the hold had quieted down to observe what was happening, having heard the severe tone of his Father’s voice as well.

“Is she the one?” Han asked, his tone still serious. He didn’t say anything else, not even giving an explanation, and Ben struggled to find his voice at the blunt question. Ben swallowed and curled his hands into fists. The Seraphim around him at first looked a mixture of confused and concerned. Still, he could gradually see as the meaning behind his Father’s question clicked, their gazes settled on him as they watched with held breath. 

Unable to find his words still, all Ben could do was try to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat as he gave a single, firm nod. That was all that was needed to confirm Han’s question. Around them, the Main hold became filled with exclamations of congratulations and cheers of joy. The news of Ben, the Prince of the Seraphim, had at last found his Soulmate the cause. And Ben couldn’t help but smile a small, sheepish grin as Vicrul and Kuruk punched his arms, with Vicrul making a snarky ‘about time.’

When Ben locked eyes once more with Han, he found his Father’s gaze had softened and what Ben couldn’t believe was misty eyes. Quiet happiness on his face as his Father was relieved at hearing that Ben had a Soulmate.

The cheers and celebration stopped though, as the sober reminder that his Soulmate was tagged and enslaved caused Ben’s smile to slide off of his face. His Father’s soft gaze vanished as well when he watched Ben turn serious.

“What can I do, dad?” Ben asked, before gulping to stop his voice from cracking before he added. “She’s currently in pain; I can sense it. She’s enslaved and tagged. What can I do to save her?”   
At his words, the air in the main hold became cold and tense. Everyone glanced at each other with a conviction that told leagues of his people seeing how serious the situation was. Knowing that he and his Soulmate were separated from by literal chains, and having them take it seriously, warmed Ben. No one dared speak though Han sighed, his shoulders slumping as he ran his hand through his hair, much like Ben did when he was distressed.

‘When did my Father get so old?’ Ben thought to himself as he looked upon the man that had seemed to age drastically before his very eyes at the question. Han shook his head before he looked back into Ben’s eyes. His Father looked to be at a loss, something that was equally unknown to Ben. For as long as he could remember, his Father always seemed to walk with nothing but confidence. Making you believe that the man knew what he was doing and could take on anything that came his way. 

“I don’t know Ben,” Han stated, his voice sounding exhausted and heavy with a somber as he added. “But I promise you. We will do everything we can to help her,” another pause as he seemed to weigh his words before he promised firmly, “We will get her freed. No matter what.”

♦♢❖♢♦

It was late. Ben didn’t know just how late it was. He only knew that no matter what he did, he couldn’t shut down his mind, even having tried to meditate to no avail. Doing nothing but constant tossing and turning. The image of his Soulmate burning behind his eyelids and the constant tugging of his heart that made him want to seek out her warmth, preventing him from falling asleep. After yet another fitful turning onto his side to try to get some sleep, Ben decided that it was a lost cause, and he softly huffed in annoyance.

He pushed himself up and looked around at the other bunk beds filled with different Seraphim that were deeply asleep. He could have sworn he heard Kuruk snoring, and Vicrul was muttering something in his sleep as well. After sitting there, listening to the deep breathing of the Seraphim, Ben flipped the covers, and he swung his legs over the edge of his bed. 

‘I know what I have to do.’ Ben thought to himself. Quietly picking up his boots, and rustled as gently as possible through his sack of clothes until he found what he was looking for before shuffling to the door. ‘If anyone asks, I’m just heading to the refresher to relieve myself.’ he planned. Giving the sensor a push, making the automatic door slide open with a quiet hiss that made him flinch.   
‘Has that always been that loud?’ he snarked, throwing a quick look over his shoulder to make sure no one else had awakened. He was pleased to see that everyone was still fastly asleep before he swiftly walked out of the quarters, the doors sliding behind him. And once the door was fully shut, Ben left out a small breath, having not realized that he had been holding it before he made his way towards the Main hold. As he walked, he made sure to keep his steps light and silent, something that was surprisingly easy for someone of his size and stature.

‘Guess it’s easy due to all those years of practice with Poe and Hux.’ he admitted to himself. Pausing just outside the doorway that led into the main hold, Ben straining to hear if anyone was in there. Knowing that if anyone were, he would have to backtrack quickly and try a different route. When he didn’t hear anything that sounded like there was, he cautiously peeked around the corner and breathed another sigh of relief when he found the coast was clear.

Ben lept into action, making his way to sit on top of a crate that was pushed up against the wall near the extra bunk. Ben worked fast to put his boots on, swiftly pulling the laces tight and tying them as quickly as he could, not caring about if they were sloppy. Ben nervously looked around the entire time, knowing that if he was caught, they wouldn't believe his excuse to use the refresher and his Father would have his head.

Once he had his boots on, he quickly fastened the cloak he had dug out of his pack around him, throwing the large hood over his head. With the material and his wings being black, he wasn’t too worried about being able to blend in with the shadows for what he was about to do. He slid off the crate and crouched, sneaking over to the panel on the wall close to the drinks bar and pried open the access panel. 

He wasted no time in bypassing the system. Carefully flipping some switches and admittedly pulling one or two wires before he closed the panel once more with a firm push to ensure that it was closed. It wouldn’t do him any good if someone walked in here after the panel swung open once more, after all. After being satisfied that it wouldn’t open itself, he ran his hand around the panel near it before his fingers snagged what felt like a latch of sorts. 

Glancing over his shoulder towards the main corridor from under the cowl of his hood. He took a deep breath before looking back at the panel. ‘Please say I bypassed the alarms correctly.’ he pleaded as he pulled on the latch. Only to breathe out a sigh of relief once more when the panel swung open without any sort of alarm. Since he disabled the alarm correctly, that means he would have successfully disabled the sensor in the cockpit as well. 

He grinned as he crouched to squeeze himself into the tiny space that was hidden in the wall. Grabbing the handle on the backside of the panel to pull it shut behind him, thumbing the latch into place once more. Now in complete darkness, Ben shuffled in the space as he ran his hand around the floor, having to fight back the urge to cheer once his hand found another latch that he gripped and pulled up. Having to use a bit more of his strength, Ben was able to pull the concealed exit hatch open, the hatch being a bit stiff from disuse, so it groaned quietly and opened with a hiss and subtle pop. 

After placing a piece of scrap metal in the jam to ensure it wouldn’t close behind him. Ben hopped through the exit and landed with a muted thud in the sand below; reaching up and pulling the hatch shut, the scrap metal preventing it from fully closing. Still, at least it appeared shut and unnoticeable.   
Jakku was chillier than Ben was expecting as he made his way under the ship, making sure to stay slightly crouched with his cloak drawn tightly around him.   
‘At least the sand helps quiet my footsteps.’ Ben thinks to himself, a sense of anticipation and thrill running through him as he slowly makes his way back through Niima towards the large tent that held his Soulmate. The streets of Niima were practically deserted. And Ben could only faintly hear the occasional sounds of laughter, faint moaning, and even the sound of a couple screaming at each other. That didn’t make him lower his guard, though. As he continued to sneak along the streets, Ben occasionally paused and looked around, knowing that what he was doing was dangerous. Still, he couldn’t find it in himself to care. He only cared about getting to his Soulmate.

After what felt like hours of ducking and crouching in the shadows while slinking through streets, he finally made it to the large tent. He noted that the entrance was fully shut, and there was only faint torchlight that could be seen through the canvas. Ben stayed crouched behind a cart of what looked like useless scrap metal before cautiously looking around, making sure there was no one about before he crossed the small plaza and slipped inside. 

Once he was inside the tent, Ben straightened and lowered the hood of his cloak, striding towards the bars of the cage. The tent was silent; if it weren’t for the soft scrapping of a brush against metal and the warm presence that was his Soulmate. Ben would’ve thought that the tent was completely devoid of anyone.   
Ben looked around once more, knowing that no one was truly around to catch him sneaking into this tent, having reached out with the force to sense if anyone were near, but he couldn’t help but feel on edge.   
As he drew nearer to the cage, Ben kept his back to the bars so that he could eye the entrance of the tent. So focused on his surroundings with the Force, Ben only faintly heard what he thought was the gentle swish of fabric moving behind him.

“What are you doing here?” An accented female voice hissed out. Breaking the silence so unexpectedly that Ben found himself startling, his heart leaping into his throat as he whirled around to face the speaker. Immediately, he found himself locking eyes with the glinting, beautiful hazel eyes of his Soulmate.   
He froze as he locked eyes with the fierce woman that was his other half and suddenly forgot how to speak. Only briefly registering her question, he let his gaze wander, taking her in now that he had the chance to. The first thing he noted was that she had changed into a different outfit. Whereas the attire she had worn while dancing had a few rubies, golden metal, and left her stomach and most of her uncovered. Her new outfit was the exact opposite, being multi-layered along with arm wraps that covered the majority of her arm. If you were to ask Ben, she looked far better in it. ‘Though I’m sure she would be stunning in anything really.’ Ben couldn’t help but think.

It wasn’t until he had started to take in the numerous freckles that were scattered across her face that Ben remembered that she had asked him a question. Coming to the realization of how long the silence had dragged, his eyes snapped back to hers. And was met with the fierce glare that she was aiming at him. Her lips curled into almost a snarl, while her wings and ear feathers were puffed up as a threat. 

‘Oh, kriff!’ Ben chastised himself as panic shot through him. Quickly overwhelming himself with the thought that she might just start to yell, which would notify anyone around them that he was there. Not that he thought it would be intentional, but it caused him to panic nonetheless. 

He lifted his hands, palms facing towards her, as he began to motion for her to calm down and be quiet as he took a step closer to the cage. ‘Say something, dang it!’ he yelled at himself as he did so.  
The woman in front of her crouched slightly, her fingers curling to show off her talons like she was tensing to attack. She snarled, her eyes becoming almost predatory as her wings flared, causing the chains to rattle. Ben immediately stopped, not daring to take a step closer.  
‘What a feral woman.’ the thought drifted through his mind as he continued to make the soothing motion and let out a quiet shh, which made her narrow her eyes at him. Making another shh, Ben chirped softly to show that he meant no harm and was only trying to deescalate the situation. 

“Hey, it’s alright. Sorry. I was taken by surprise, so I had forgotten you had asked me a question,” Ben admitted softly, making sure to maintain eye contact as he drew his wings in closer to make himself appear as non-threatening as possible. “Truth be told, I’m only here because I wanted to see you and talk with you.”  
That soft admittance caused a look of shock to flash through her eyes, which quickly morphed into suspicion and disbelief.   
“And why would you want to do that?” She asked him, her accented voice sending a shiver down his spine. She didn’t sound afraid, she only sounded threatening, and Ben would be lying if he didn’t admit that seeing his Soulmate so strong made his heart pound in a way that threatened to make him coo like a dove. 

‘Honestly, how pathetic is that I am so whipped already?’ he sighed in exasperation. If Hux or Poe were to catch wind of this, he would be teased until the day he died. And Force forbid that if his mother found out. Ben pushed those thoughts away as he scrambled to come up with a quick answer to her question that didn’t make him entirely seem like he was struck.   
He had a feeling that if he were just to come out and say, ‘You and I have a bond that makes us Soulmates, and it makes me want to do nothing more than be near you to feel complete. And honestly, I don’t understand how you have that effect on me because I haven’t seen other Soulmate pairs act this way.’ It might just make her upset and would possibly only serve to scare her off.  
He shrugged and instead acted nonchalantly. 

“Well, I’m drawn to you and want nothing more than to get to know you,” Ben answered, privately patting himself on the back for responding in a way that didn’t come off as crazy; as well as remaining put together despite his racing heart and haywire thoughts.

She didn’t react to any of that, her eyes quickly glancing behind him and then around the tent. She hummed softly in thought before she looked him in the eyes again.  
“Where are the others?”

This question caught Ben off guard, and he couldn’t help but look behind him, lowering his hands to rest at his side before he turned back to her, tilting his head a bit.  
“Do you mean my Father and friends? They are back on our ship. Asleep,” he paused before he reassured her softly. “It’s just me.” He then cleared his throat and dipped his head in greeting and quickly introduced himself. “I’m Ben Solo. What’s your name?” 

The woman opened her mouth a bit, clearly hesitant to answer him as her eyes shifted between his eyes. Ben didn’t rush her to respond, though, as she was clearly searching for something. After a few seconds, it was clear that she must have found what she was looking for before, as she completely relaxed. Before she stepped closer to the cage bars, making Ben sigh in relief to himself. He took a tentative step closer as well, and when she didn’t withdraw, he walked until he was also closer to the bars. 

“I’m Rey,” Rey stated simply. Briefly pausing before she tacked on a hurried, “Just Rey.”  
Hearing this, made Ben’s stomach dip slightly at the implications of what that could mean, but he shoved it aside in favor of smiling softly. He can ponder about everything later when he is by himself.  
“Well, Rey, I got to say that it is a pleasure to meet you. It makes getting sand everywhere worth it.” Ben teased as they both settled onto the ground to be more comfortable. Ben did another quick sweep using the Force before focusing back on Rey as she asked.

“You’re the Prince of the Seraphim, aren’t you?”

Ben wanted to chuckle at how straightforward and blunt she was but didn’t in case she would take offense to it and instead nodded, running through his hand through his hair, and said.  
“Uh, yeah. Yeah, I am. Should have figured you would have known that.” 

Rey only smiled softly and admitted sheepishly.  
“Well, truth be told, I only put two and two together from what my friend, uh, Finn, has talked about before. I otherwise wouldn’t have known,” She tilted her head. “I could have sworn he mentioned Kylo Ren before, though, not a Ben Solo.”

Ben felt a pang of hot jealousy towards this Finn for being a friend to his Soulmate, but he shoved it aside and just admitted that Kylo Ren was also him. It was just an alternate name that was used in context to his knights, The Knights of Ren”. And though Rey didn’t seem to understand the reasoning fully, she accepted it without much question. The two fell into an easy, though slightly awkward, conversation.

“What is Alderaan like?” Rey suddenly asked, startling him a bit as he had become more relaxed the more they talked, and he hummed in thought.  
“Alderaan?” He paused, “Well, it’s up high with plenty of room to fly around. It’s surrounded by cliffs and mountains, with a giant waterfall and lake.” He paused again before adding, “And very green, because of the fields and forests.”

Rey sighed softly, almost wistfully, as she admitted. “I’ve never seen a lot of green. It’s hard to believe that places in this world can be like that.” Ben’s heart clenched painfully at that, feeling that protective urge rush through him once more. After she stated that, Ben was overwhelmed by a feeling of loneliness that he realized was coming from Rey herself. The lingering memory of loneliness and fear of leaving Jakku and admitting to herself that her parents had abandoned her flashed before Ben's eyes. After they cleared, he could hear the ringing of a much younger Rey crying ‘Come back!’ in his ears. 

‘That must be why she’s just Rey. And how she probably ended up in the cage.’ Ben thought, realizing that her memories had slipped out to be picked up through the Force by him. Ben could understand the loneliness, having felt it for himself in her younger years as well. But he still felt sorrow that she had to also endure it.

Ben cleared his throat, drawing the attention of Rey, who had gotten lost in her memories once more.   
“Oh yeah, there is so much green around the world. But I would say Alderaan is the greenest I’ve ever seen. And the connection to the Force is stronger there, probably because-” 

“The Force?” Rey’s puzzled question breaks Ben off, and he looks back up to her from where he had been looking at the sand beneath his hand to find her looking confused.   
‘She doesn’t know about the Force?’ Ben thinks to himself as he struggles to explain.

“Well, the Force is an...energy...that connects all life. Seraphim, Mankind, even animals, and plant life. Humankind isn't sensitive to it, though. Only Seraphim seems to be able to tap into it. Seraphim can use the Force to read each other’s minds, talk with others, even see and experience emotions and memories of those around them.” He trailed off, not exactly sure what else he could say to get it to make sense. He begrudgingly admitted that his Uncle Luke would have explained it better. 

Rey didn’t look confused anymore, though, just curious, as she tilted her head.   
“So you would be able to see things like my memories, thoughts, and emotions?” She asked, trying to get clarification in the form of a question. When Ben nodded in confirmation, she seemed to perk up. “So does that mean you could see inside my head?”

Faintly amused by this, Ben nodded. “Yeah, I could. But only if I am actively looking, and of course, I wouldn’t do it without your permission.” He was quick to state, not wanting her to get the wrong idea. He could get whatever he wanted, but he would always ask for her permission when it came to the Force. At least, when it came to the deeper digging, he wouldn’t stop in seeking her signature for comfort whenever he needed it. He ignored the thought that she was the only one he would do so too, of course, not admitting how he had tried to force his will upon Plutt earlier.

“Then do it.”   
The firm statement from Rey surprised Ben and left him to sputter what. Rey rolled her eyes and clarified.

“Do it then. I want to see what it’s like for someone who can use the Force. I give you permission to look into my mind and tell me something that only I would know.”  
Ben hesitated, sending feeling like this moment was a lot more intimate than she realized. But he also recognized it as the test that it was.   
“Okay, but I promise to be as gentle as possible. This can hurt if I’m not careful.” After getting another nod of confirmation from Rey, he took a deep breath and let his eyes close as he slowly lifted a hand towards her. More for show and to help focus than anything honestly. Taking another breath, he let his mind drift outwards, feeling the area around them before he honed in on the bright star that sat before him. He reached Rey’s mind, feeling a tug in his gut before he gently entered her mind.

“At night, when you are unable to sleep. But you are desperate to escape the reality of your situation, even for just a bit, so you imagine a lake with large mountains surrounding it.” Ben says out loud for Rey as he sees the image of a glittering lake that was surrounded by multiple trees that were a deep, vibrant green. The mountains were white-capped and in the distance. The view was deeply familiar to Ben as he had seen it multiple times.  
‘She has dreamed of Alderaan.’ He realized in awe as he said out loud. “I see it; I see the island on the lake.” At those words, Ben felt an understanding bloom within him while something close to fear shot through the bond between him and Rey. At that, he lowered his hand and opened his eyes looking at the stricken Rey that still sat before him.   
“Don’t be afraid. I feel it too.” He said softly.

His words were met with a bit of a snarl, causing Ben to withdraw from her mind completely. But as he did so, he felt a shiver in the air. Ben could feel the reverbs from something snapping through their bond. It felt similar to that of chains breaking. Before Ben could ask if Rey was alright or apprehend what that sensation was, he froze as he felt something brush against his faintly. Ben’s eyes widened as he realized that it was Rey’s signature, her mind seemed to have opened up more, and he could feel her Force Signature more clearly. 

‘Her Force has awakened.’ Ben came to an understanding, feeling awe as he gently lowered his defense to let her in as well, realizing that she was using the Force. However, it was not the first time from what he could tell. Just the first time with this clarity. He held her gaze, as Rey seemed intensely focused, her look fierce and determined. She was searching without realizing she was doing so.  
“You’re afraid,” Rey spoke up, breaking the silence. Her voice was firm but held an aspect of distance to it, making Ben realize that she had gone deeper into his mind without him realizing as she continued. “You’re afraid that you’ll never be strong enough to help all of us enslaved Seraphim. That in the end, you’ll fail.”

Ben flinched back and closed off his side of the bond once more, doing so more aggressively than he meant to if the flinch that Rey expressed was anything to tell by. He didn’t close it off entirely, just enough to startle her concentration. She was just as strong in the Force as well. However, he noted that she would need a teacher. He was unable to do anything but nod and admit that she was correct.

The two continued to sit in silence, both a little shaken at the exchange that had just happened before Rey spoke, her voice quivering slightly.  
“What just happened?” She sounded frightened and confused.  
“That was the Force,” Ben stated, trying to be reassuring for her. “You had just used the Force to see into my mind, just like I had done for you.” That last part was slightly awed and had Rey shaking her head adamantly as she firmly stated.  
“No, that isn’t possible. I can’t use the Force.” She sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than him. Ben opened his mouth to try to argue back and persuade her to see the truth but was interrupted by two loud voices that were drawing near the tent. Causing both of them to look tensely at the entrance, sitting in bated breath as they sat in silence. Like they were holding their breaths as the voices became more apparent they were near the tent.

They were arguing in a language that Ben didn’t recognize. But he pleaded that they move on and just walk past. After a few tense minutes, the voices began to fade as they continued to walk on pass, and once they were no longer heard. Both Ben and Rey let out a sigh of relief. 

“It would be best that you get out of here before someone catches you and we both get in trouble,” Rey said softly, her face more closed off than it has been this entire time. And though Ben was reluctant, wanting to just stay near her at all times. He was forced to agree.  
He stood up and brushed off the sand before he fixed Rey with a soft look. 

“Goodnight Rey.” he bade softly, causing a soft smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes to settle on her face as she said.

“Goodnight Ben.” She stated, walking back to her area behind the curtain, as he pulled the hood of his cloak back up, slipping out of the tent. The entire journey back to the Falcon went in a blur as he was only able to focus on the events that just happened.

Before he knew it, he was settling back into bed. The face of Rey lingering behind his eyes, causing a small smile to appear on his face as he went over the interaction he had with Rey before he slipped peacefully into sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope that you stick around for the journey! <3
> 
> So a couple of announcements:  
> \- I got to remove the "Not Beta Read" tag because now this story has a beta reader! And is being as beta read as possible. The beta reader is my sister: OracleAria, yay!  
> This means that all the previous chapters will be edited and updated to be better in quality. But honestly, there isn't much of a change so updates will be as normal. Just beta read before updating.  
> This is the first chapter to be uploaded with the beta reader, so let us know how we did!  
> \- If you are interested in getting to know the Seraphim species for this AU, I would highly advise, following me on Tumblr, because I have been working on a "Get to know" sheet that I am uploading very soon.  
> \- I have also completed drawings of the wing designs for the prequel gang (Anakin, Padme, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka) and will be posting them on Tumblr as well.  
> \- The artwork on the cover banner, is done by me. The watermark on it is just for my Instagram haha. I've been super excited to share it, and I'm thrilled that it lined up being revealed with this chapter. That was not planned at all haha.
> 
> Big Reylo moment! Yay!  
> 
> 
> They finally had a conversation, and their interactions will only continue from here on out. ;) I have honestly been so excited for this point to come, and here we are! Hope you are all as excited as I am!
> 
> Come follow me on my [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/snowlakelynx)! I will be posting some worldbuilding things, and you can stay to chat or ask me questions. 
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and please leave a comment down below telling me what you think!  
> See you all next week, stay safe and Happy Holidays! <3


	9. Chapter 8. Rey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey can't sleep because her mind won't shut up, but at least she has Finn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!  
> Thank you all for tuning in!   
> I just wanted to say welcome back and I hope you continue to enjoy! :)
> 
> Also, I have something important in the endnotes, so please check it out!

Even though Rey had wished Ben good night before retreating back to her den. She couldn’t fall asleep. No matter how many times she tried to quiet her mind after closing her eyes, trying to force herself to sleep, the memory of Ben along with their conversation only served to make her eyes pop back open. Her mind went into a whirlwind, once more. After a while, she just gave up on trying to sleep and sat up, leaning against the wall to stare at the marks once more. Something that she does frequently. 

She felt conflicted. She still felt tense and upset with him, just the thought of how he was free while she, as so many were, was still enslaved. On top of that, she has not forgotten his comment about being drawn to her and wanting to get to know her. It made her wary of being near the man. Was it because she was in the cage that he found her fascinating? There had to be an alternate motive. There always is one, after all. 

But, she also couldn’t shake the memory of the soft look in his eyes as she had talked with him. She also couldn’t shake the feeling of rightness that came along while she had been near him. She had felt warm, and understood. Something that didn’t make sense in the long run, but she also recalled how she didn’t feel alone anymore when he had been near. 

_ “‘ _ _You’re afraid that you’ll never be strong enough to help all of us enslaved Seraphim. That in the end, you’ll fail’”_ , She recalled, having found the deep fear when she had slipped into Ben’s mind. She had felt and seen those thoughts as if they were as clear as day like they were her own. There was no way that he could have lied about those.

_‘It couldn’t be a trick, could it?’_ She thought to herself. She didn’t know anything about the Force. Sure, she had heard tales of it from the older Seraphim, but this was the first time she had a true experience with it. 

As time continued to pass, she began to remember small instances. Realizing that maybe she had more moments using the Force than she originally thought. For starters, there had been times when she had been out scavenging and could have sworn when she picked up on other’s thoughts or emotions. Whether it be to finding the best parts, practically snatching them from under their noses and securing a good sum of portions, or just knowing when to steer clear of people that Rey knew would be looking to harm her.

Having been so lost in thought, the brightening of her surroundings and the sounds of those waking up around her, went unnoticed. It would seem that, after that encounter with Ben, Rey was starting to notice the Force more throughout her surroundings that had always been there, and she just never paid that much attention to it.

The thing that did snap her out of being lost in her thoughts was when she felt a comforting presence get closer to her. It had never been brought to her attention before, but Rey noticed how the presence was familiar, almost brotherly. 

The presence was none other than Finn’s. It ascended over her like a comforting blanket, just as she heard someone enter the tent. This caused Rey to scramble up onto her feet, desperately needing her friend, in hopes she could get away from her thoughts. When she stood up, the world around her wavered, her head becoming light, and she blacked out briefly. Leaning up against the wall, her hand lifted up to her head, an instinct as she tried to ground herself. 

Once she was sure the world was no longer going to move in ways that it shouldn’t. Rey pushed off against the wall and walked out into the cage to greet Finn. 

Upon coming into view, Finn’s face lit up and he teased,

“Hey Peanut! Good to see that you’re awake. Saves me time from having to try to wake the beast.” 

Rey rolled her eyes, having heard this joke multiple times, and smiled fondly at him as she drew closer, letting the comment slide. Once she got close enough to him, she drew him into a hug, which he swiftly returned. When they drew apart, Finn looked at her face and frowned, noticing the dark circles that had started to form under her eyes.

“Oh, Peanut. You didn’t sleep at all last night. Didn’t you?”

His concern made her look away, always feeling awkward and on edge whenever it happened. She shrugged and mumbled under her breath that it was nothing, as well as an excuse that she didn’t give much thought. To prevent Finn from questioning her further, she quickly focused her gaze on him once more. It came to her attention that he was fidgeting a lot more than he usually did.

He kept shifting his feet and even bounced on the balls of his feet on occasion. It wasn’t nervous fidgeting like he did when he was about to deliver bad news. It was antsier like he was waiting on something that made him excited. He seemed more alive at that moment than Rey could ever recall him being. 

“I’m fine, don’t worry,” Rey reassured once more, before quickly adding, “What has gotten you so lively this morning?” She immediately wanted to wince when her voice sounded scratchy and realizing a little too late that her question could come off as annoyed.

Finn didn’t seem to care though as he grabbed her hand, something that Rey used to fight and protest against but has come to cherish, dragging her over closer to her den. After he sat them down, he glanced around quickly and leaned in closer to her, working on fixing her hair a bit as he whispered.

“Last night, the underground channels received a message that has made many hopeful. It was so discreet, it took a few minutes for anyone to truly decipher it, but it does nothing but promise hope for our people.”

Rey hummed, closing her eyes in content as he ran his fingers through her knotted hair. She opened one eye to peek at him, her basic way of stating to continue. Though, Finn clearly didn’t need the confirmation that she was listening because he quickly rushed on.

“It was a message stating a location, out near the Sunken Dunes, Seraphim can go to find freedom. We just have to escape. Once we get there, they would be able to remove any tags to ensure we are truly free. From there, they would be able to guide us to Alderaan where we would be unreachable. Many of the Seraphim have already made plans to slip away to get to the meeting spot while Plutt and his guards sleep tonight. That is if they end up not being set free and go with Prince and King.” Finn paused before he added. “I plan on also trying to get away as well. This is an opportunity that I can’t miss out on.” This time, when he spoke up again, his voice was softer, more somber. “I think you should come as well. I could come by before I head out and open the gate. I could get you away from here as well.”

Rey’s frown had deepened the longer he talked, she wouldn’t admit it to him, but she had doubts about this message. Something about it was suspicious. After all, they didn’t know who sent that message, it could have been anyone. It could be a trap. Despite this though, Rey held her tongue, not wanting to bring this up until Finn suggested that he would try to get her out as well.

“No Finn, that’s too risky for you to even attempt. Plutt would discover us before we are even able to flee and I don’t want to think about what he would do if we were caught,” Rey’s heart hurt at the thought of losing her friend. “But, if you get the chance to go. Take it. No matter what.” 

Rey’s eyes began to sting. The world around her was getting blurry as she struggled to fight them back, not wanting him to see them. 

She loved Finn, and she would rather have him be free than enslaved. Even if it meant that she would be left behind once more. Finn inhaled sharply though, no doubt about to argue with her on this but was cut off when Plutt stormed into the tent.

“Boy! What is taking you so long!” Upon laying his eyes on the two, he glared at them. Causing Finn to scramble from sitting, all the while avoiding looking at Plutt in the eyes. The man grunted, “I sent you in here to make sure she was awake, not to play with her hair. Now, get out of here and back to your other tasks. We don’t have all day, you better be done before we have to meet in the plaza with our guests, you hear me?”

Finn mumbled a ‘yes sir’, as he headed to the door of the cage. 

Plutt turned his attention to Rey, staring at her for a few seconds, a thoughtful glint in his eyes before he nodded firmly like he had made a decision about something. He grabbed Finn’s arm as soon as he was within reach, pulling him out of the tent as he yelled over his shoulder.

“You better not think that I’m letting you go, girl! I own you, and you’re worth more to me dead than free!” 

Those words made Finn fix Rey with a look of pity, leaving a sour taste in Rey’s mouth, before she was left alone in the large tent once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope that you stick around for the journey! <3  
> I apologize for the short chapter, I didn't have a whole lot planned for this one, because of the events that will take place in the next one, and of course because of the events in the previous one. Hope you still enjoyed it though!
> 
> Now, right to business.  
> -I am leaving on a short hiatus!-
> 
> Between stress with work, the holidays, and some personal stuff. I am taking a small hiatus to avoid burnout.  
> But, do not worry! I have no plans in abandoning this story at all! Especially after we just started to get to the good stuff. ;)  
> This hiatus will be for the entire month of January. So I will be back to uploading as usual on February 5th, 2021.
> 
> This doesn't mean that you can't come to chat on my [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/snowlakelynx), as I will still be posting some fun things on there during this time. I will also be posting updates whenever I can during this hiatus so that it doesn't seem like I disappeared. :)
> 
> If you haven't already, come check out my Tumblr, because I have posted some art there, and have a few more things in the lineup!  
> The artwork on the cover art is done by me. The watermark on it is just for my Instagram haha.  
> Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and please leave a comment down below telling me what you think!
> 
> See you all in a month (and next year >_<)!  
> I appreciate all of you and will be happy to return after my hiatus. ^^  
> Stay safe, and happy holidays! I hope we all have a better new year! <3


	10. Chapter 9. Ben

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The release of Seraphim and Ben meets a new friend (though he doesn't realize it yet)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!  
> Thank you all for tuning in again after my hiatus!  
> I just wanted to say welcome back and I hope you continue to enjoy! :)
> 
> Also, I have some important stuff in the endnotes again, so please check it out!

Ben was startled awake by the feeling of a heavy hand on his shoulder. Despite the gentle shaking, Ben was violently shoved out of his warm dream of an open field while he walked side by side with Rey, the sudden awakening causing him to jolt a bit, his heart pounding. As the sound of distant laughter and the lingering feeling of a peaceful breeze stirring his feathers faded, Ben registered the deep, chest rattling apology coming from his Uncle Chewbacca, who was standing over his bunk, having just woke him up.  
Ben stifled a yawn as he glanced around quickly, noting that no one else was in their bunks, ‘They must already be out in the Main Hold.’ He thinks to himself before he clears his throat, looking back at his Uncle; who looked mildly amused.

“About time you woke up, your Father was wanting to speak to you in the cockpit before you head to the Main Hold for breakfast. He wants to make sure you have the run down for what the plan is and would prefer that the other Seraphim don’t overhear. Better hurry though, we need to make our way to the plaza soon.” His Uncle Chewie informed him, causing Ben to look at the chronometer near him, having to stifle back a groan when he realized just how early in the morning it still was. 

“Yeah, I’ll be right there, thanks Chewie.” Ben said instead of focusing on the reason he was so tired, yet oddly energized at the same time. His Uncle only grunted and began to head out of the quarters before he paused and turned back to Ben.  
“Also, it was a relief that you returned back in one piece from your late night stroll, though I would advise you don’t do it again.” After dropping that little bomb of knowledge, he left leaving Ben sputtering in defense.

Once the doors were fully closed, Ben let out a deep groan and rubbed the palm of his hand down his face. Of course Han Solo would have known he had escaped. Ben never really understood how, after all, his Father didn’t have any connection within the Force besides the one he had with his Mother, but he still seemed to have a knack for just knowing things.  
‘Oh, well, if he didn’t confront me when I returned then he must not be upset.’ He reminds himself before he gets out of the bed, quickly changing his clothes and heading to the fresher to fix up his appearance and relieve himself.

It wasn’t long before he found himself walking towards the cockpit, the voices of Han and Chewie drifting faintly through the empty hall to him. It sounded like they were just discussing the best course of how to make sure things run smoothly and the best way to get home, but the moment he came into view at the doorway, the two stopped talking.  
His Uncle and his Father shared a quick glance before Chewbacca snorted and shook his head, making his way past Ben with a pat on his shoulder and heading towards the Main Hold and leaving the two Solos to themselves. Han gave Ben a smirk as he continued to tinker with some of the charts and frequencies on the panels behind the captain’s chair.

“Had a good late night huh Kid.” Han said, throwing another knowing smirk in Ben’s direction that caused Ben to snort and roll his eyes, his arms folding in order to fight the urge to clench his fists and fidget. Leaning against the door frame, Ben remained silent for a heartbeat more before he scoffed and shook his head, the memory of his conversation with Rey, along with the feeling of warmth when it comes to his Soulmate, causing a small smile to settle on his face.

“Yeah, I guess you could say that.” Ben finally admitted sheepishly.

Han nodded, looking every bit as the awkward man that he becomes whenever they start to talk to anything remotely close to feelings. It used to be something that Ben found annoying and it would upset him when he was younger, thinking that his Father didn’t care for him as much as he did the Falcon, but he has come to learn that his Father just expresses his love in different ways. He is much like his Father in that regard, not being able to communicate and express his emotions in ways that a normal person would. 

‘You have too much of your Father’s heart in you.’ A memory of a taunting voice caused a chill to go down his spine before he internally shook it away to focus once more on Han as he finally finished whatever he had been doing and turned fully to look at Ben.

“That’s good. Good,” He cleared his throat before he sighed. “Look Kid, I’m happy that you were able to find your Soulmate, despite the circumstances, and it’s a good thing you were able to at least speak to her; it helps build the bond and calm your nerves, because I get it, you feel like you have constantly be around them, and it makes you on edge when you can't,” 

At this point, it was clear that Han had gone on a bit of a rant, which only served to make Ben want to sink into the Force and disappear. His Father doesn’t usually do this often, he normally tries to come off as level-headed and carries himself a swagger of confidence, but of course he likes to rant when people do something to really annoy him.

‘Guess I did manage to annoy him.’ Ben thought to himself, trying to not smirk at that particular thought. Though he was quickly pulled back into the seriousness of the situation when his Father pointed firmly in his face as he stated.

“But, if you ever pull that stunt again, I have no doubt that your Mother would find out and then we would be in the doghouse, and if that happens, I will ensure that you receive the full punishment. Got it?”

His Father looked so serious and stern, trying to give Ben a threat that would ensure that he would stay in the line. Ben on the other hand, wanted to snort at the weak threat, but instead of doing that, he kept his face as emotionless as possible nodded with a short, “Got it.”

Han nodded, happy with that result and began to make his way out of the Cockpit, most likely heading to the Main Hold as well to grab a cup of Caf and some food, giving Ben’s shoulder a firm pat as he mumbled a ‘good’ under his breath. Han leaving took Ben off guard and he pushed himself off the doorframe.   
“Wait, that’s all you wanted to talk about? Uncle Chewie stated that you wanted to discuss what was to happen next.” 

Han snorted and called over his shoulder, still walking away.  
“That was the discussion. Now come on, we better eat so we can get out to the plaza, the sooner we get out of Jakku, the sooner we can come up with a plan to help your girl, right?”   
Ben decided to ignore the jab and also rushed to the Main Hold, knowing that time is valuable, especially when it came to coming up with a plan on how to free Rey. 

♦♢❖♢♦

It was not long before Ben and the others found themselves standing once more in the main plaza of Jakku. The sun was just starting to rise, yet it would seem like everyone in Jakku was gathered around them, many of them having their Seraphim companions standing just behind them. It pained Ben to see up close how hollow their eyes were, and just how many of them were clipped. It was also disturbing for Ben to see that many of the Humans were wearing trinkets that had their Seraphim’s feathers displayed, like a sick show of a trophy. 

Ben’s eyes slowly drifted to the tent in which Rey is kept and frowned when he could feel her through the force, still trapped in her cage. ‘Is she ever allowed out?’ he thought to himself before a loud shout pulled him back to the present.

“Alright, looks like everyone is gathered here. We might as well get this over with so we can get back to work, eh?!” Plutt shouted, his bubbled hands clutching a few tattered papers as he looked around those gathered with his beady eyes. The silence held for a few seconds and the citizens of Jakku started to shuffle a bit, their eyes shifting to the sunrise and back to the ground in a rapid manner, clearly showing that they didn’t actually care to be here and were more of wanting to get moving so that they would still have time to scavenge a few things while it was still day out. 

Han cleared his throat before indicating to Plutt that he should stop stalling and wasting everyone's time, causing the man to grunt and mutter something under his breath, but shifted the paper and continued nonetheless.  
“I got a list of all the Seraphim that would be released, as declared by their rightful owner,” Ben’s ear feathers twitched at that little dig, “to ensure that we don’t miss anyone, we’ll go down the list, one at a time, so that you may hand over your Seraphim to the King and Prince.” Plutt paused once more before he started to read off with the first name.

Ben quickly tuned out before he could hear the names, not caring to know the name of the Human that was releasing their Seraphim and instead looked around the plaza, letting his sense in the Force just move about and he was unsurprised to find that most people around them didn’t seem to care about was going on. Though he was surprised to sense there was next to no animosity towards them from the Humankind.   
As he watched each Seraphim get set free, a few of the clipped Seraphim were released from their chains before being allowed to walk over to stand behind his Uncle Chewie and having a quick look over by the medic.He was also disheartened to realize something in common.

Many of them were old, looking like they were more saggy skin hanging off of bone than actual living beings, and were likely close to dying. A few of them would smile at their Seraphim as they watched them walk away, and it surprised him to see a few of the middle aged humans that seemed to have found sympathy for their Seraphim do the same. Overall, Ben noticed that all the humans that were on the list, did not seem to be reluctant to this moment. 

It was all too soon that Plutt lowered the papers, having called the last name written and cleared his throat once more.  
“I also have one that I have been wanting to hand over, as he is no longer of use to me.” He turned to fix his eyes on a Seraphim that stood in a line behind him and sternly said, ‘you boy,’ before jerking his head in Ben and his Father’s direction.

The Seraphim in question was the dark-skinned Seraphim that had served Ben his food at the feast last night, the one that Ben had sensed a faint link to the Force.   
Ben watched as the Seraphim froze, having seemed to realize what was happening before he started to walk forward, not bothering to look at Plutt who was starting to glare in impatience. As he drew closer, Ben sensed the jumbled mess of shock and joy raced through the clipped Seraphim, but you didn’t have to have a connection with the Force to see the hesitation that was also making the Seraphim hold back.  
It wasn’t until he was directly in front of Han and Ben that he came to a full stop, the joy snuffing out of the man, only to be filled with that hesitation to the point that Ben felt like he must have a Soulmate amongst the crowd that he is being forced to leave behind.

“You okay…” Han started to ask before trailing off, giving the man a chance to respond with his name.  
“Finn.” The hesitant man replied, and when Han finished his question of if Finn was okay, his only response was a nod his head and a muttered, ‘yeah, never better’, but even as he says that, Ben could feel the sorrow and worry that was racing through him as he glances over his shoulder.  
The air is stolen out of Ben’s lungs when he realizes that Finn was looking towards Rey’s tent. This was the Finn that was Rey’s only friend here in Jakku. His heart drops and clenches painfully at the image of Rey sitting in her tent, completely alone, as she hears the call of other Seraphim being set free while she is surrounded by the bars of her cage. Alongside this heartbreaking image, Ben feels a surge of jealousy, protectiveness, and anger at the question of what kind of relationship Finn and Rey must have to make the other man so hesitant in accepting his freedom, but he was quick to push it aside, remembering the connection that Rey and him had felt last night. 

With the last Seraphim being set free, the Humans began to scatter and Plutt made his way over to their group for a few last words with his Father. Ben only half paid attention as they finished up with whatever business needed to be done with the Seraphim being freed but he quickly interrupted the conversation by asking.  
“What about Rey?”   
This caught the attention of Plutt, who didn’t seem to question just how Ben knew of her name. The man lifted a practically non-existent eyebrow. “What of her?” he asked, his tone gruff as always as he turned his attention to Ben.

Ben only briefly acknowledged the look his Father gave him, along with the look of open curiosity and strong protectiveness that Finn also shot him before he asked. “What are you going to do with Rey?”  
This caused Plutt to laugh, like Ben was telling a joke. “Why, that feral beast? I still make good credit off of her, and still has her uses for me. Wouldn’t give that all away, aren’t you smart enough to have realized that yourself after the performance she gave last night, eh?”

As the man continued to laugh, Ben could feel his anger start to swirl and simmer in his gut. His hand twitched at the thought of just drawing out his lightsaber and running his man through at the off handed comments he made about his Soulmate. He also briefly thought of using the Force to make him set Rey free, but remembered how he hadn’t been able to reach the man's mind last night.   
Ben took at a deep breath and clenched his hand, only just holding back from harming the man, as he knew that if he tried to do anything, Plutt would only turn around and harm Rey. So with a sour taste in his mouth, Ben dipped his head in acknowledgment and didn’t say anything as a stab of regret hit him when he realizes that he is forced to leave Rey behind to remain in her current situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope that you stick around for the journey! <3  
> It has been quite some time since I have been here, and I wanted to thank you all for still sticking around for the month I haven't posted! Hope you still enjoyed the chapter because things start to kick off from here on out!  
> (Or as Anakin said: "This is where the fun begins")
> 
> I do want to apologize, as I am a day late to when I wanted to come back originally, but things had been a bit hectic for me so I wasn't able to get around to uploading until today. That being said, I do have a few things to address:
> 
> I was not able to complete all that I wanted to while I was on my hiatus. I was hoping to edit the previous chapters, draw some more artwork, and change a few things up with title names, tags, and such but truth be told. The month break I took, was not very relaxing and was very very hectic, haha. Between having to fight writer's and artist's block, I also had a major scare with my mom; who had been sent to the hospital because of COVID. (She is doing much better and recovering thankfully!)  
> Unfortunately, that means:
> 
> -I am extending my hiatus!-  
> That is correct, I will be extending my hiatus for the rest of February, meaning that my full return will actually be March 2nd, 2021. I just didn't want to leave y'all hanging, because I love and appreciate you all, so I figured I would post a chapter and also notify you that I will be gone a little longer before I return to doing my weekly Tuesday upload schedule. :)
> 
> You can, of course, come to chat on my [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/snowlakelynx).  
> Would you guys also prefer a Twitter for updates and such instead? Or is there anything you want me to improve? Let me know!
> 
> Sorry for just popping in, only to pop out again. I promise that I still do not have any wishes of abandoning this, and really hope you all continue to stick around throughout this second hiatus, I will be very soon! <3  
> The artwork on the cover art is done by me. The watermark on it is just for my Instagram haha.  
> Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and please leave a comment down below telling me what you think!  
> See you all again in a few weeks!  
> I appreciate all of you and will be happy to return in full after my extended hiatus. ^^  
> 


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